The 31st Night
by Bloody Fae
Summary: Halloween is drawing near and Raven has cast a spell that may have condemned the Titans to their own nightmares...
1. Spell Casting

The 31st Night

Tria A Nox Noctis

Chapter 1: Spell casting

Raven lit the last candle. The fire flickered blue for a split second before it settled into a shadowy yellow. The candle completed the circle around her.

An old book was splayed out in front of her on the carpet. The text looked nearly unreadable in the unstable light, so the girl leaned closer.

It was an incantation, a sort of old language that would most closely resemble the Latin language of Earth. She brushed silky hair back behind her ears.

The girl raised her hands, palms facing each other but not touching. She had memorized the spell already, so she closed her violet eyes to better concentrate.

"_Nox noctis_…" She murmured and touched the middle fingers of her hands just barely together. "_Devenio a mei. Animus, spiritus, effusio es meus per te essum."_

Her black energy focused on her hands that fizzled slightly in the air. Something brushed by her in the dark but the girl kept her eyes closed.

"_Devenio a mei!"_ She spoke with more force now, pressing all the tips of her finger together. The candles around her flickered hauntingly and her blood red chakra glowed.

"_Occuro ab mei animus, edo te aetas. Adfero te malum, abnocto!_"

With a sudden movement she broke her hands apart, her palms now facing away from her. Black tendrils poured out of her body across the crackling pages of the book. She could hear a rush of rain outside; her conjuring had brought about a devilish storm.

"_Devenio a mei_!" She yelled to the forces that would listen. Lightning boomed across the sky, shaking the tower.

The fire around her blazed up a moment, swirling an array of unnatural colors. Something dark brushed around her body mussing her cape up.

"_Adfero mei…_" Raven muttered now softly. Everything she had been pushing away suddenly collapsed.

Like a black hole the power was recalled into her body. Her conjuring wrapped itself around her body for a moment, feeling through her mind and emotions. Without warning it phased itself through her skin and into her.

Raven wobbled a bit and opened her eyes carefully. She could see the candles around her flickering hazily.

She felt so tired… she…

The mystic let out a large sigh and fell sideways unconscious.

* * *

Beast Boy hit the pause on his Game Station. He turned slowly to see Starfire grinning at him widely, an array of orange and black decorations in her arms.

"Uh, Star?" He asked guardedly. She was smiling the same way she did right before she decided you needed to try a new Tameranian pudding.

"I have just uncovered the most wondrous of traditions!" Her eyes widened brightly. "Robin has just finished telling me of the Hallo Ween, we must be in celebration!"

"It's Halloween." Beast Boy corrected, looking over her armful of goodies. He should have seen this coming. "I mean I guess we could celebrate…" Halloween pranks were already brewing within the boy's mind.

Starfire giggled, dropping a small black plastic bat. "Robin said that I can be doing the decorating and next week there is a treat or tricking!"

Beast Boy grabbed the fallen comrade and handed it back to Starfire. "Dude… we're that far into October already?" He scratched his head. He had already gotten the new release for RoboCoperz and that had come out the 15th… and he'd been playing that game for a week…

It took a moment of mental adding. "Today's the 22nd." The green skinned boy nodded more to himself. "I guess it is getting close."

Starfire nodded eagerly and dumped the decorations onto the couch that Beast Boy had been about to take back up for gaming. "Will you help then?" The Tameranian asked curiously, tilting her head in such a way that Beast Boy pushed his game away and agreed.

* * *

"Hey have you guys seen Raven?" Cyborg entered the living room to see a green giraffe and a floating alien hanging droopy cobwebs from the ceiling.

"No I have not, but I do wish to ask her if she would like to help with Halloweening, she is very good at the scary things." Starfire called, floating back to the floor to greet the tin man.

Cyborg grinned up at the décor. "Yeah she said she was going to help me with some new car parts today." He crossed the room and dropped down on the clearest part of the couch. "Halloween eh? How much persuasion did that take to get Robin's agreement?"

"Very little actually." Starfire grabbed a small pack of spiders and flew back up to stick them in the webbing like Beast Boy had instructed. "It was his idea that we should be doing a celebration."

"Really?" Cyborg mused to himself. It was amazing their leader would let them enjoy something that wasn't furthering criminal leads or practicing their fighting skills. "Nice to see he's finally lightening up."

Beast Boy said something under his breath to Starfire who giggled and dropped a few misshapen spiders.

Cyborg rolled his eye and got back up. "Well I'll go see if I can track down Raven, keep on those decorations you two." He languidly exited, snatching a few of the fallen spiders to possibly decorate his room with later.

* * *

Cyborg knocked hard on the metal door labeled RAVEN. There was no sound from the other side. The boy sighed, he had already been up to the roof to look for her, where else did she hide out?

An idea struck him and he pulled up his arm. He typed in a homing signal for her communicator, she rarely went anywhere without it.

A map pulled up on the screen with a glowing red dot. He zoomed in on it. According to this Raven was…

He looked back at the door. She was still in her room. Hammering on the door again he called, "Raven! I know you're in there, you can't get out of helping me this time."

The door quivered under the beatings. Still, it's mistress would not come and relieve it of its post. Bang, bang, the door was bowing now. "Don't make me knock the door in." He warned, getting dangerously close to doing just that.

No noise came from the opposite side of the door. It was strange that she hadn't at least come to yell at him for intruding so bluntly.

* * *

Robin pulled off the perfect roundhouse kick, hitting the bag midway up. It jerked on it's chain as he pulled back satisfied. He slid a hand across his forehead, feeling the condensation gather there from his workout.

The boy grabbed a white towel left on the bench beside the door and laid it on his shoulders. He knew there wouldn't be any interruptions during his training today. He had purposely given the okay to Halloween to give Starfire something to do. Villainy had been down for a few weeks down and in her downtime she had taken to following him.

For one used the company of only himself, it was a little… claustrophobic.

The boy exited the training room with a slow gait. His muscles had long tired themselves out and the languid movement felt nice.

He headed toward his room to grab a new suit and maybe catch a shower when he overheard the noise of thunderous pounding. He moved quietly toward the noise so as to not disturb the person.

Recognizing this was the hall Raven's room was in made it only more curious. Usually this part of the tower was quieter than the dead. Carefully he listened to the person pound on what was surely her door.

There was a sigh that he recognized. "That's it." The person he had figured was Cyborg muttered.

A small tapping of keys filled the silence once he had stopped berating the door. Robin wondered what he could possibly be up to. Raven would never allow such a task of brutality to take place upon her doorstep.

And if Robin was right (by the sound of Cyborg entering numbers into a keypad) she sure as hell wouldn't allow him to barge into her room.

Robin fought with himself on whether or not he should intervene. His feet didn't move though. If anything, he was curious to know why Raven hadn't made her appearance yet. True, she could be visiting Nevermore, but she at least left a message with someone so no one would bother trying to find her.

If he remembered right, she had not given any such message in some time.

A sliding of a metal door brought Robin back. It was so smooth that had he not been straining his ears for noise, he might have missed it.

A footstep crept into her room. Now, Robin felt himself moving forward, wanting to see just what was going on.

* * *

Cyborg held the door carefully to make as little sound as possible. "Raven?" He called carefully. For all intensive purposes he was ready to split at the sound of a cape rustling. She would _slaughter_ him.

There were candles in the room. They glowed in a circle around a large bundle of what may have been clothes. Most of the candles had nearly burned to the ground, gooey wax was stuck to the floor tiles. She had to have been there not too long ago.

There were piles of books to one side, one rather dirty looking one was open beside the clothes. Cyborg felt dread as he stared at that book. All he could think about was the last time the girl had tampered in her books and evoked the evil dragon Malchior.

Did that process work in reverse? Was she stuck in the-

Cyborg had gone to step closer when his eyes passed to the bundle of what was supposed to be clothing. Violet hair splayed across the floor, nearly blending in with the tiles. He followed it to pale skin…

"Raven!" Cyborg bent down quickly, moving her cloak out of the way. She didn't seem to be hurt.

He checked for a pulse and breath. Both seemed to be just fine. Carefully he ran a hand down the back of her neck and further down her spine to check the bone structure. He didn't want to move her if she had broken her neck or something.

Everything was perfectly as it should be. The tin man propped her up with one arm and shook her shoulder lightly with the other. "Hey… Raven, wake up."

She was unresponsive.

He tried for a few minutes with the same kind of luck. There was nothing wrong with her, so why wasn't she waking up?

"Cyborg?" Robin appeared in Raven's doorway, outlined by the hallway lights. The effect made his facial expression unreadable.

"I don't know what's wrong with her. She was supposed to help me today… and she wasn't answering her door." Cyborg finished lamely. "I'm going to take her up for some testing."

Robin stepped further into the room and gave it a quick survey. "She was conjuring." He concluded.

"Yeah." Cyborg picked up the girl easily.

Robin walked over and picked up the book. Noting the page he snapped it shut. "We may need this later, no telling what came out or went into this book."

Cyborg looked down at the supposedly unconscious girl in his arms. He didn't know what was more terrifying, something coming out or going into that book. Raven looked so peaceful, her usual scowl was gone.

With much trepidation he followed Robin out of the room.

* * *

Raven awoke in a dark room. She sat up quickly to survey the area, the air here was different from that of her room.

She could make out vague shapes across the room, but they swam strangely when she tried to concentrate on them. Her body was sore and a pulsing headache was drawing much of her attention.

Had she taken a hit by a truck or something?

The thought struck her memory funny, causing it all to come rushing back to her. Raven had been…

She moaned and flopped back onto the bed. It smelled like disinfectant and she instantly knew where she was. Raven had been to the towers infirmary only once, but you don't forget the smell.

She noticed her cloak was missing. It was not a comforting thought, she felt naked. So then, who had raided her room to collect her?

Raven grit her teeth. They ground with a stomach clenching sound. How _dare_ they? She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, no one should have been nosy enough to break into her space.

Taking a calming breath Raven clutched the blankets. How was she going to fix this now? Surely whoever it was had seen the candles had seen the book! From that mess in her last spell casting they were surely going to ask.

Raven was paying for her Malchior tryst more than needed be. It was perturbing.

The girl slid out of the bed and replaced the blanket, smoothing them over delicately. Maybe if she just acted like nothing was different and avoided their questions no one would persist on the subject. Surely there wasn't a will quite as solid as hers.

Raven gave a last little fluff to the pillow and turned to try and find her cloak. The room was dark and silent, she was a bit surprised there wasn't some kind of sentry to hawk over her. It was something Robin had been known to do in times of panic.

That might be a good sign. Could is be possible Robin hadn't heard? This could be good. She may be able to _persuade_ them to keep whatever they saw to themselves. It shouldn't be hard, they were in her room after all.

Her cloak was spotted over the back of a metal chair that had been pulled up near the bed. It seemed someone had intended to look over her, or at least sat down. And then got bored? Found themselves preoccupied?

That was one thing she hated about unconsciousness. Unlike sleep when at least Nevermore was still aware of the world, unconsciousness meant she remembered nothing. Raven loved her knowledge, it was one thing she held in highest regard. She was always able to figure things out.

Unconsciousness was a huge blockade to that.

Raven clipped her cloak around her with the hands long practiced. She adjusted it on her shoulders making sure it fell to its proper height.

Quickly brushing back her hair Raven exited the room. Her boots were noiseless against the floor, just as she liked. She took a languid pace toward her room listening to the rain patter against the tower windows and walls. She had almost forgot it was raining.

All of the Titans had to be asleep by now. Passing the digital clock she found it to be closing in on four am. Raven had been out for some time now. It was disappointing in a way, Robin probably knew what happened.

Even the strongest willed Cyborg couldn't keep something like that from their detective-become-hero leader Robin. Even a whiff of mystery and the boy was on it.

Raven had to admit the candles and her book let off quite the whiff to pick up on.

Still, he hadn't left her with an overhanging watchdog and it was odd.

Raven typed in the code to her room hearing thunder long passed rumble outside. The rain still beat down hard, but the storm could not last much longer. Her bedroom door whooshed open.

Light flashed behind her in the sky and it lit up her room for brief seconds at a time. Her candles were still on the floor in a makeshift circuitous shape. Given they were almost entirely melted.

Raven knew the book would be missing. Any of the Titans who had found her would have grabbed the book. She huffed a breath, it would have been easier to ignore their questions if she had the book and could simply hide it away.

But now the spell was revealed. They wouldn't be able to read the Azarathian tongue, but a rough Latin translation might just doom her. The girl should have been more cautious with her spell casting.

She had thought a locked door would have stopped anyone, apparently not.

The bedroom door slid shut behind her, and Raven flickered on a small lamp light. She was not tired enough for sleep and those candles probably needed to be cleared away before morning.

Raven dared not use her powers to make it a quick job. It was never safe exerting herself directly after a conjuring.

By the time the sun had begun to rise on the east side of Jump City Raven's room was clean once again. All the wax had been scraped up and thrown out, the remaining candles put away. Any fallen or disturbed objects were placed back in their place.

She had traded out her cape for a new clean one.

The blazon of sunlight touched everything but her dark room as it rose. The girl settled down on her bed crossing her legs tidily. A little meditation would do her good before the Titans arose demanding answers.

Going to be 8 or 9 chapters, with a lovely theme to be revealed in the next chapter. The spell was a rough Latin translation, the purpose of the spell will eventually be revealed. In meditation touching the middle fingers together was to emphasize the vocal cords and speech.

Halloween horror story, don't expect a happy ending.

Review.

:Bloody Fae:


	2. Acedia

The 31st Night

Tria A Nox Noctis

Chapter 2: Acedia

By the time the sun had met its crescendo in the sky, Starfire and Beast Boy had finished with their Halloween preparations. The bats were hung, the spiders curled in their web and Cyborg had finished his touch on the creaking doors and fake blood.

Beast Boy, upon finishing his work, sat back down on his favorite couch and flipped on the television. Hours of mind-numbing television would pursue.

Cyborg sauntered over to a temperamental Robin. "I guess you've been up to the infirmary."

Robin shot him a dark look. "She's hiding back in her room."

"You can't blame her, she probably figures the moment she shows her face you'll pounce with questions." Cyborg added, taking a seat across from Robin at the kitchen bar table.

"I just need to know what she conjured." Robin rubbed his knuckles together, the heating friction helped to steady his anger.

"I'm sure if it was anything too bad she would have told us." Cyborg grabbed his glass of water, downing the rest of it in one swallow.

"Like she did last time?" Robin gave him a hard stare.

"Point taken." Cyborg set down the glass and got back up. "Would you like to go knock her door down then?"

"No need for that." Came a silky voice. Raven materialized before sliding past the two boys to grab a mug. Robin watched her put a put of water on to boil before she turned to them.

"Who broke down my door?" She asked. Her face betrayed no emotion.

Cyborg tentatively raised a finger up. "That'd be me."

There was a barely-frown that pulled at her lips. "I am disappointed in you Cy."

"What was the spell for?" Robin finally asked, it was wrenching inside him too tightly.

Raven's violet eyes flickered to him for a moment. "That concerns you none." She turned her back to go to the pot that had started bubbling. She grabbed her mug and had started pouring the water into it when Robin spoke.

"Like Malchior did?"

Raven slammed the mug down, clanging on the counter strongly. Any more force and it may have shattered.

Robin watched her knuckles tighten white around the black cup. She stayed frozen for a moment before her fingers loosened. Raven grabbed a small bag of tea and dunked it into the mug water dying it a muddy color.

When she turned back to them her expression was tense. "The spell was perfect, you needn't know what it was for."

Before Robin could go arguing the girl pushed past him and vanished through the living room door.

"Why didn't she just use her powers?" Cyborg asked about her quick exit.

Robin's eyes bore on the door that had shut after her. He was just wondering the same thing.

* * *

Cyborg had given up trying to calm Robin. He seemed hell-bent and obsessive on finding out what Raven was hiding.

Instead he tried to rally Beast Boy and Starfire into a game of football. At least that would get them out of the tower and _doing_ something. Starfire had happily agreed, but Beast Boy was a little more difficult.

"Nah, I'm not feelin up to it." The green skinned boy waved him off, eyes still glued to the television.

"But Beast Boy it is most enjoyable to toss around the skin of pigs!" Starfire poked the boy, glowing with energy.

"Maybe next time." He clicked the channel feeling sluggish.

Starfire shrugged and moved back over to Cyborg. "We will be able to play with only two people, yes?"

Cyborg shrugged, a football tucked in his arm. "I'm sure we can find some players at the park."

"Glorious!" Starfire smiled radiantly and went over to bid Robin good-bye.

"Man, you haven't been out in a while." Cyborg noted, touching his friend's shoulder.

"Next time, I promise." Beast Boy muttered still watching the tube.

Cyborg shook his head, hadn't he said that last time? Starfire was calling him now to hurry up. "Coming." He called throwing one last look to the couch potato. His loss.

He hurried after Starfire.

* * *

Raven spent the rest of the day in meditation. She made herself forget the words exchanged this morning until the sun was nearly setting.

Even with an entire day of rest the girl was still weak. She may have been able to portal herself into the kitchen, but it had drained nearly all her energy reserves. For that one trip she had to spend the rest of the day recuperating.

It was ridiculous.

Raven laid back on her bed contemplating a nap. She didn't want to try and retrieve food until later tonight or early morning. At least then Robin wouldn't be around to pester her. His caution and detective instincts sometimes were simply too much.

Her spell was flawless. With all the rumors following her last casting she had been extra careful.

The spell would not effect them, no one needed to know. She had done it for herself.

By Halloween Raven would be free.

A yawn escaped her lips as she stretched back on the silky covers. Her room was dark, especially dark with the sun from outside gone. It lulled her into submission. The girl closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep.

* * *

Beast Boy was the last one awake. He was still settled in front of his lovely television watching some kind of reruns.

Robin had stormed off to his room early having given up on catching Raven again. Starfire was next, closing her book Halloween: A History and skipping off to her room. The Tameranian was really getting into the spirit.

Cyborg had cleaned up the kitchen and locked down the tower before bidding good-night, he had files he wanted to cover before shutting down. This was typical, he was at a constant pursuit for knowledge.

The changeling was contemplating bed, but then figured to just sleep on the couch. He was rather comfy where he was and it seemed a whole lot of trouble to get up and trudge to his room only to return upon awaking.

He stretched his stiff limbs a moment, the lids of his eyes hanging heavy in his vision. The television was getting fuzzy and far away as Beast Boy began to fall into the lull of sleep.

"_Acedia…"_ Someone was still speaking. Was it the TV? Beast Boy closed his eyes too lazy to check.

"_Acedia!_" It came louder now, demanding almost. So near as well… like someone was whispering it into his ear…

The boy had been a moment from unconsciousness when something closed around his throat. The force of its lunge made the boy tip, lading on his back on the couch. Green eyes shot awake as he gripped his throat, trying to throw off the intangible force.

He writhed unable to stop it. It constricted his lungs, he couldn't breathe.

Beast Boy tumbled onto the floor in urgency and tried to call for help. No sound burst from his lips to save him. Speech required oxygen and he was running just a little short.

Banging into the coffee table his nails were still digging at his throat trying, without results, to push the force away. Already the loss of air was slowing his mind, shutting down all non-vital body functions.

"Te contemno nam Acedia." It was the same voice he thought had come from the TV. It was hissing into his ear, into his mind. In the darkness he could see no owner to the voice.

He had rolled into the table again causing something to fall over and shatter. The glass that cut into his skin bothered him none. Lack of oxygen was already drowning him.

Beast Boy's hands fell from his throat, his muscular function having been shut down to preserve the oxygen for his heart and mind.

Noise faded out, followed by his sense of smell and eyesight. Beast Boy could tell the world was folding in on him. New thoughts to longer processed his mind. He could not feel the coldness of his limbs anymore.

Mouth agape in a plea for air, Beast Boy lost consciousness. The voice continued to murmur into the darkness. "_Acedia…"_

The television that had been previously running shut off, leaving the living room in a blanket of black.

* * *

Raven shot up out of her bed. She was breathing quickly and she pressed a hand to her throat, feeling the wind pass in and out.

How long had she been sleeping?

She pulled herself out of bed snatching up her cloak. It was probably safe to go and try to grab some food. Internally she contemplated the reasons for her uneasiness.

Robin was a safe bet. He was so uptight about her conjuring he must have gotten her subconscious questioning herself.

That was bothersome. She should not, would not, let his worries influence her. Her spell was perfect, if anything was going to go awry, it would have already.

She took the stairs down two at a time, her deep velvety cloak swished after her. The tower was silence and peaceful. She used the fact to poke at that unsure part of her mind. Nothing was wrong.

Raven passed through the living room and into the kitchen. She briefly wondered what the Titans had cooked up for dinner and moved towards the refrigerator.

There was blue mold, tofu, and old meat that assaulted her senses upon opening the door. The light lit up the kitchen as she judged whether any of it was edible. The blue fuzz might be with a little salt…

She sighed and moved to the wall to flick on one of the kitchen lights just as the frig door closed. Maybe there was chips or something, it didn't take much to fill her stomach. Most of her demonic powers took care of her appetite and energy.

Upon close inspection she found a bag of pretzels left on the counter. Lucky her.

She snatched it up and returned to the refrigerator to grab one of the bottled waters. It was cold in her fingers and she re-closed the door.

Passing by the light switch she hit it off. Darkness restored itself over the room. Raven paused surveying the living room she had just entered. The back of her neck prickled curiously and Raven was temped to scout the room over.

You'd only be feeding Robin's paranoia, her mind countered. The room was calm, there was no need for such alarm. The mystic shook off her hypersensitivity and walked to the sliding doors that lead to the Titan rooms.

All the way back she had a nagging perception that something was wrong.

By the time she had settled back into her bed and opened the bag of pretzels that sense had been pushed to the furthest box of her mind. You'd think after living around Robin for so long she would have escaped his mind games.

She made a contemptuous noise in the back of her throat and downed a large sip of water.

Introducing… the Seven Deadly Sins. I was happy to find they are all guilty of one or more of these.

Acedia: Also known as Sloth. Beast Boy is the only who has lazy tendencies.

Next chapter: _Gula_

Review.

:Bloody Fae:


	3. Gula

The 31st Night

Tria A Nox Noctis

Chapter 3: Gula

The next morning burned too brightly. Raven was thrown back to consciousness cruelly as a patch of light mingled itself through the various levels of cloth she had put over the windows.

No matter how she enchanted those curtains, light got threw. What were her odds anyway?

The girl tossed her blankets away, stretching as she rose. There was an odd feeling to the room that caused her to swerve her neck around to look. There was nothing but her mask faces both smiling and frowning back at her.

She grabbed a new cloak and exited the room quickly.

* * *

Robin was the first to make his rounds downstairs. He yawned and started for the kitchen first. If you didn't get to the food before Cyborg, there wasn't any left.

A quick look through held no results, when was the last time they had gone out grocery shopping? The boy sighed and shut the refrigerator door, maybe they'd go out to eat this morning.

He moved towards the couch area intending on checking the morning news. The crunch of glass under his boots caught his attention.

Robin glanced down at the couch area, his mouth going slack. A rare curse found its way past his lips as Robin rushed over to a furry green boy.

There was blood and glass cascaded across the floor and Beast Boy was facedown between the coffee table and the couch, right in the midst. Robin bent down to immediately check for a pulse and breath.

The green skin was frigid and still. Robin's throat went pasty dry as he reached for his communicator to hit the emergency signal.

"Beast Boy…" He muttered as the red alarm started blasting through the tower. There was no heartbeat and no breath. The changeling seemed frozen.

Raven arrived first, nearly a second after the alarm had sounded. Her hair still looked damp from what might have been a shower. "What's-" Her eyes had scanned the room for the one who had started the signal.

They landed on her leader, hunched over a green boy. "Robin?" There was a horrible feeling that surrounded the room and she was almost afraid to move any closer. Her neck prickled uncomfortably and energy buzzed across the undersides of her arms.

Cyborg arrived next, Starfire not far behind. The two froze just behind Raven when they spotted the displeased expression on her face. The red light still blazed on above them all.

Raven rushed forward, it cued the other two to get closer.

"I don't know, I just found him." Robin sounded emotionless. He had reverted back into himself and stuck in autopilot. He moved aside to let Raven see.

It was terrible. He laid prone on the floor, unmoving in every sense. Starfire may have shrieked in the background and started sobbing, Cyborg may have cursed blackly, Raven didn't know. That world had fallen away from her senses.

There was an aura pulsing from him. Curious for someone who looked… dead.

She reached out a careful hand to touch him. When she did, a sort of shock ran up her arm. The action caused her to rear back quickly, a surprised cry rise from her mouth.

Her balance was disrupted, but Cyborg steadied her from behind.

A moan came from the green boy. Raven took a step further back, alarmed that he was moving at all. Starfire, who had indeed been crying, suddenly stopped.

"Beast Boy?" Robin called stepping around the three titans to get to the boy.

There was a groan, then green limbs started moving. Beast Boy pushed himself up carefully, his hands pressing into the broken glass. "Ohh." He called.

Robin grabbed his arm gingerly and pulled him up onto the couch "Peroxide." He ordered to no one in particular. Raven took the excuse to get again.

There was something so ominous about that aura, when she had touched him…

It chilled a part of her that was not impervious to fear. With a flurry of her blue cloak she headed for the kitchen, they kept an extra First Aid kit under the sink.

* * *

Cyborg had done a complete check on the changeling to find nothing but minor scratches from the glass.

"I'm telling you, I had a bad dream and rolled off the couch." Beast Boy insisted for what had to be the eleventh time.

"And the glass?" Robin asked once again. He wasn't sure at all about the story.

"I must have hit it off the table in my nightmare." The boy shrugged him off and tried to grab the remote.

"But you weren't even _moving_." Robin added, accentuating the last word as a hinting. _You had to have been dead._ He couldn't say that, Starfire was still sitting beside him recovering.

Cyborg ran his vitals again, snatching the remote away. Raven was across the room, eyes cast the opposite direction.

"Dude, I'm fine!" He grinned toothily. "Though I am hungry…" He raised an eyebrow.

Robin sighed and got off the couch. The glass hadn't been cleaned up and it crunched into smaller pieces under his shoes. "Well we're out of food, I guess we should go out for breakfast."

"Yes!" Beast Boy pumped an arm in the air, raising a giggle out of Starfire.

"I do enjoy the rest-er-raunting." Starfire glanced at Robin with a smile, already dreaming up her perfect meal…

Despite the morning's activities Robin felt himself grinning, he could see where Starfire's fantasies had run off to. He turned to Raven.

"You coming?"

Raven continued her staring, had she even heard him? Robin walked a little closer. "Hey," He tapped her shoulder, causing her to snap her attention to him. "We're going to breakfast, you comin?"

Contemplating over his words, Raven gave him a dull look. Finally, she shook her head. "No, I need to get some research done."

Just then, it clicked back into Robin's mind the reason she might be doing research. The reason he had been badgering after the girl the last day…

She was gone. Robin ran a hand through his hair in an exasperated manner. "Let's just go." He called to the other four before marching over to turn off the neglected alarm.

* * *

At one of the lesser known restaurants (for Titans valued their privacy), two teenagers were locked in a battle of… consumption.

Beast Boy had been the instigator as always, seeing the two heartiest eaters stare each other down across the table.

Robin had an elbow on the table, his chin resting on his hand and shaking his head. Starfire and Cyborg had arranged a large array of foods on either side. All breakfast foods were present, plus a variety of mustards, condiments and meat.

Lots of meat.

"Ready?" Beast Boy was hunched forward in his booth seat, eagerly watching the contestants.

Starfire grinned in a devious manner, quite unlike her usual sweetness. A cloth napkin was spread across her lap in a tidy manner. Cyborg had his tied around the neck, fork and knife in hands.

"Set."

Robin cringed at the ready warriors. He knew that this day would eventually come, but was unprepared when it did. It would not be a pretty end. Literally.

"Go!" Beast Boy shouted, startling a few people near by who had just received their small breakfast.

And then they were off. Piling food and filling their mouths. There was the scrape of utensils and the slick noise of open-mouthed chewing. Beast Boy counted the food as they consumed and egged each on.

Robin's forehead slipped to the table and hit with a solid clank. _Why?_

Neither contestant noticed and Beast Boy was too busy counting the hot dogs Cyborg was inhaling.

He could hear bottles of mustard being squeezed out and thrown to the side. Starfire was making slight noises of contentment. A few people had moved closer to see what was going on.

"Any bets? Tin man versus the alien with nine stomachs." Beast Boy called, still rapidly writing down the tally of foods. Robin wished he had stayed at the tower.

* * *

Raven threw books aside, tearing through her stacks. Where _was_ that spell book?

When she had finished her inventory she headed for Robin's room. If he had taken and kept it, it would most likely be stashed in his room. She crossed the hall and slid through the door barrier with ease.

All she needed was to check. Just to reassure herself the spell was perfect. Raven tried not to doubt herself often, but…

That aura from Beast Boy would not leave her. It had quickly disappeared when she touched him, but there was something so… unholy about it.

She switched on the light switch for the boy's room. It was very clean, leading up to a messy bed. Where, oh where was it?

* * *

Cyborg had given up the fight. The man with a hunger to rival any, apparently could not rival the Tameranian.

When he had ceremoniously run for the bathroom, Robin had called the contest to an end. Starfire gloated all the way home, hugging her trophy bottle of mustard.

The rest of the day had been relatively quiet compared to the morning scene. Cyborg had stalked off to the garage to work, sulking in his first defeat. Starfire was finishing up the last of her Halloween books and pestering Robin about the "tricko-treating" while Beast Boy stayed on his Gaming Station.

The panic of the early morning was gone.

Robin finally had enough of the anxious girl and asked her to go get groceries, ordering Beast Boy to go with her to make sure she got edible foods.

The green boy had muttered about the physical energy it took to go all the way down to the store, but did it nonetheless. Robin sighed and returned to his room. Things may have settled back into a calm manner, but the morning panic was still bothering him.

He had an underlying suspicion that Raven's secret castings had something to do with it. It was just all too coincidental. He plopped back down on his sheets, arms curling under his head. White ceiling was spread wide above him.

What was she hiding?

* * *

Cyborg wrenched his arm, tightening one of the larger bolts of his engine. He was building the engine for a jet, better than the previous models he had built. It could be utilized for sea, air or space travel.

While he attached parts and worked the circuitry, his mind pulled up databases of mechanic research he had downloaded. With part of himself inhuman it was so much easier to store information. Memory could not be switched out on disk to be stored and never forgotten.

He grabbed a stack of white metal flaps for what would be a turbine and rearranged them on the other side of him for easy reach. A socket wrench was gripped in his other hand, he searched around for the right size socket piece.

She only won because of her multiple stomachs. Nine at that! He found the socket and attached it to the wrench. Unfair was what it was.

Cyborg had bent over his partly built machine, about to start justifying his loss, when something clattered loudly behind him. He twisted his head around expecting to see a Titan. He was alone.

A bunch of screws and bolts were scattered across the floor. Some were still rolling away. Cyborg shook his head before turning back to his work, he'd clean them up later.

"_Gula_." There was a whisper of a voice.

Cyborg spun around, intending to catch the trickster. There was nothing. His red eye scanned the area, no signs of body head in the room other than his. Perhaps he was just being hypersensitive.

The tin man shifted his focus back to the engine. Electric blue eyes stared back at him.

"Ahh!" Cyborg yelled, tumbling back away from whatever it was. He couldn't make out a body… the eyes consumed him…

And then it was on it, around him, in him. There was grating through his mind, a shrieking, caterwauling noise. He was distantly aware of the world tilting, splitting, shredding…

He hit the table behind him, knocking things carelessly to the floor. Cyborg fell to his knees. The thing would not leave him, it's eyes penetrated everything.

The boy might have yelled, but he found no air for his hungry lungs. He gave one last rearing back, smashing his backside into something metal. There was a loud clang and he fell face forward to the garage floor.

* * *

Starfire had gone into the store by herself. Beast Boy had told her he needed to stay outside the pick up someone. The girl was unsure how he would be doing this without a means of transportation, but didn't argue.

It was one of the rare times she got out alone and she intended to enjoy it.

Not to mention load up on her favorite foods.

So far she had half a cart full. Gathering things the others would eat first had consumed the hour or so she'd been in the store. Now it was time to treat herself.

Starfire knew where she was going and quickened her pace. The third isle was empty and the girl grinned. Her platforms clicked on the newly waxed floor as she hunted down her prey.

The shiny bottles came into view.

* * *

Raven stalked up and down her room. There was no book to be found within Robin's room. He must have expected her, hidden it elsewhere. Her footsteps were rapid to waste away the extra energy that part of her wanted to use towards harming him.

All she needed was a little reassurance.

Where else could it be?

The masks watched on as she contemplated the situation.

* * *

Robin sat up in his bed after staring at the ceiling for some time. He scanned the room, wishing answers would just jump out at him. The trail lead his eyes back to the bed he was still seated on.

Aggravated, he pushed the blankets away. As he did so, something on his light colored sheet caught his attention. It was- he leaned forward and picked it off- a hair.

Holding it up in the light, he frowned. There was no reason for a violet hair to be in his room. But there it was.

His eyes narrowed. And she was griping about people barging into _her_ room?

* * *

Starfire had stacked the rest of her cart full of yellow jars when she heard someone speak.

_"Gula…_"

She looked up. "Pardon?" Her cat-like eyes looked up and down the isle. There wasn't a person as far as she could see.

The alien shrugged to herself and picked up her basket. It tottered under the unbalanced weight.

_"Te nefas la gula!"_ The voice was louder.

Starfire looked around her. "Hello?"

"Macto te."

"Where are you?" Starfire was starting to feel uneasy. Glancing around quickly now, she started to head out of the isle.

Something snatched the basket out of her hands. She turned to see it, only to fall into darkness to parallel a black hole. Not a scream escaped.

* * *

Beast Boy had just about lost his patients when Starfire strolled out of the grocery store, arms full of grocery bags.

"Any troubles?" He asked, catching up with the girl. Even with the weight of the food, her pace was still faster than his.

She seemed to pause a moment, an uncertainty falling across her features. "No?" She answered as thought she wasn't sure. A second later she shook it off, the cheery smile returning.

Beast Boy shrugged and hurried further to keep up with her steps. "You did pick up some tofu, right?"

Starfire sped up to avoid answering.

_Gula:_ Also known as Gluttony. Starfire is a glutton of food, Cyborg is a glutton of food and information.

Next chapter:_ Avaritia_

Most of the Lain based language is saying "you are guilty of gluttony, punish thee". Review.

:Bloody Fae:


	4. Avaritia

The 31st Night

Tria A Nox Noctis

Chapter 4: _Avaritia_

It was halfway through the next morning before Raven dared venture downstairs. At that, she was doing it under protest. As much as she'd love to avoid Robin at all costs, she _needed_ that book.

She found him in the training room as usual going at it with his punching bag. Raven didn't speak, unwilling to interrupt his fury, but rather stood to the side and waited. It wouldn't be long before his senses made him aware of another presence.

"Yes?" He asked after a few seconds. Robin pushed himself away from the bag, looking for his towel. It was neatly folded beside the wall.

"Where's my book?" Raven didn't dare address it as anything other than a book. The last thing she needed was him getting over precautious about it.

"Not until you tell me what you used it for." Robin wiped off his forehead, hanging the towel over one shoulder.

The girl stood opposite of him, eyes narrowed. She was not going to play his game.

"You will give me what is mine." Her voice was forceful and cold. Any lesser being would have stepped away from such a threat.

"Not if it jeopardizes this team." Robin folded his arms in a headstrong motion, leaning ever so slightly against the wall.

"I just need to see it and then you can burn it for all I care." Switching her tactics, she tried a calmer look on her face. Demanding wasn't getting her anywhere very quickly.

"Why?" Robin stepped forward, eyebrow raised under his domino mask.

"Fine." Raven spat and turned quickly. Forget him, forget the damn book! The spell was correct, it was merely that small doubt creeping up on her. She'd teach that emotion to obey its boundaries.

She stomped out of the room in a flush of cloak.

Dropping the towel to the ground, Robin watched her leave. At least he knew why she had been in his room now.

* * *

Cyborg awoke with a massive headache. His eye opened to bright light, forcing him to roll onto his side.

Unknowingly, what he was laying on was not big enough for such a motion. He slipped off his metal sheet of a bed with a large clunking sound. "Ohh." The boy groaned and pushed himself up, why was he in his room?

Where had he been before sleeping?

Cyborg hauled himself up, a hand going to his throbbing head. He had been… eating.

Yeah, that sounded about right. Eating… and a contest. With Starfire? And then they came home and…

He must have gone to bed. Where was the memory?

It was unlike his computer-esque mind to lose data. He shook his head and moved over to his computer. Maybe he should download the files and check for corruption, if a virus had gotten in, it would be worthwhile to get on that bugger right away.

* * *

Beast Boy waded through the junk that was his bedroom. After the nightmares of last night he had decided to sleep in his own room for a while.

Currently, he was looking for his shoes. They had to be _somewhere_ in the many piles. He had already checked the clothes pile and the stuffed animals pile, but held hope that there might be some leads in that gadget pile.

Things clinked and snapped under his toes as he pushed them aside to try and get through. He really needed to put all this stuff back in the closet soon, it was making it so hard to find things.

Maybe he could get away with leaving it if he put a hazard sign on his door though…

Beast Boy spotted something glimmering. The metal of a boot? He dove for it.

Nope. Looked like an old bird-a-rang. It was stuck in what may have once been a pizza. How long had _that_ been there? He backed away from it, unwilling to investigate further.

Shoes were overrated anyway.

* * *

Starfire was attempting an Earth recipe. After bringing the food back yesterday Robin had introduced her to a Book Of Cooking. He had hopes it would keep her from badgering him about Halloween, it had.

She squinted at the print trying to figure out what an eggplant was. In all her understanding of Earthen fauna, plants did not lay eggs.

The girl was trying to make… her eyes slid back to the title: Babaganoush. Robin had said to try anything in the Book Of Cooking and this one certainly looked promising.

But what about the eggs from plants?

"Star?" Cyborg entered the kitchen. The girl had not heard him coming and jumped at the sound.

"Oh, Cyborg. I mean to ask you, what is-"

"Hold on. What happened after we came back from the restaurant yesterday?"

Starfire opened her mouth to speak, but paused. "You went to… the garage, and I-" She had gone shopping yesterday, but something about that wasn't right. "I went to the store?"

There was something she needed to remember. What was it?

"Something's wrong. I woke in my room this morning and I can't remember getting there." Cyborg cast an eye across the counter at her arrangement of lemons, garlic, and a couple bottles of spices. He found it easier not to ask what she was making.

"I feel I should be remembering something as well." Starfire placed a finger on her cheek as though thinking. "I do not know."

"I'm going to alert Robin. Memory loss cannot be taken lightly."

Starfire perked up, but the robotic man was gone before she could ask about plant eggs.

* * *

Raven stood outside her door, not allowing herself to go inside. The indecision of it all was driving her mad. She should not just walk away and let that boy win. What would change his mind?

She couldn't tell him anything about the spell. He'd try to blame Beast Boy's little stunt yesterday on her. It was not her fault. Whatever was wrong with him was his business.

Still.

She needed to at least check. Damn her conscious.

Raven turned back around and grudgingly stared back for the training room.

Half-way down the hall someone rushed out of their room, crashing abruptly into her. The girl stumbled a little to the side, but managed to push the green atrocity away from her. "Watch where you're going." She snipped.

Beast Boy did not have the chance to grasp his balance. He tripped and fell.

Raven turned back to him curiously when he didn't get up. "Beast Boy?"

"Go away!" He howled, suddenly jerking to one side, trying to slide away.

Her eyebrows knit together as she watched him. He was writhing on the floor from something that seemed to plague only him.

And then there was that feeling. The same aura, so haunting. "Beast Boy!" She ran over to him, trying to ignore the awful thing that pulsed from him.

"No, no!" He was pushing away from her as though she were the demon who was terrorizing him.

"_Avaritia."_ It was coming for him. It was calling him. Beast Boy kept crawling away, unable to get his feet beneath him. Electric eyes were advancing on him, trying to calm him into submission.

It was the same as last time. He couldn't fall for it.

_"Te saligiare…"_ If the eyes had a face it would have been smiling.

"No, please!" Beast Boy whimpered, feeling restraints on his breathing once more. Where were the other Titans, wouldn't they help him?

Beast Boy was frantic in his need to stay away from her. "Beast Boy stop, it's me." Raven called, cautiously moving after him. She didn't want to get any closer with the look he was giving her. It was a carnal fear, it was a dangerous emotion to be feeling.

He must not be able to see her and in that he could end up attacking her. Raven clicked the distress button on her communicator.

* * *

"I don't know what's going on." Cyborg was walking with Robin toward the living room computer. "But there's a glitch in my memory and Starfire seems to be struggling to remember something as well."

"Hmm." Robin was keeping quiet as Cyborg attempted to explain the problem. Why did everything seem like it fit together? He needed some answers from Raven soon. It would be too much to have to deal with another Malchior situation again.

"And I'm thinking our memory problems may have been connected, did you have anything strange happen to you yesterday?" Cyborg continued talking.

"Nope." Robin was still contemplating the theory that the two attacks had happened at the same time. But then if they did, how did that help him?

Nada.

It was frustrating. "I bet Raven could shed some light on this." Robin finally spoke up when they reached the living room. His hand reached for the communicator, but before he could call the communicator alarms began ringing.

Cyborg pulled up his arm to check as Robin flipped open his communicator. Starfire came out of the kitchen, her own ringing.

"It's Raven, up near Beast Boy's room." Cyborg informed them.

Within the next second the three were dashing up the stairs after the alarm signal.

* * *

Beast Boy was backing away, crawling and whimpering to himself as though Raven were going to attack him.

But he was fading. He was choking and crying, hands at his throat. Raven dared to move closer. She had to do something. Where were the other Titans?

The aura was all around her, pushing her away. Forbidding her interference. She reached forward, maybe if she could just…

She touched his shoulder. The boy shrieked and Raven was hit with a blast of electricity. Her body was thrown carelessly across the hallway, banging into the other wall.

And then the darkness was upon her. Pushing her down, quicker than quicksand and so much more tormenting. Blazing blue eyes consumed her world, pushing her back, smashing at her consciousness.

_"Avaritia…"_ It hissed at her, seeming like a warning. It was everywhere at once.

Raven fought the force. She needed to get back up, she needed to help Beast Boy. It was stronger.

She could not hear Beast Boy's screams any longer, it worried her. The thing evaded her senses and gave her one last shove.

The darkness swallowed her up.

* * *

The three Titans made it to the hallway to find it quiet. Usually a panic call meant action. Here was nothing.

Robin headed down the hallway catching sight of Beast Boy, leaning against a wall groaning to himself. The other two followed quick on his heels. "Beast Boy?"

The green skinned boy looked up with groggy eyes. "Where am I?"

Robin extended a hand and pulled his comrade up. "You're in the tower, what happened?"

Beast Boy scratched his head looking across the three. "I don't know. I was looking for my shoes in my room and then…here."

Robin went to glance down the hall at Beast Boy's bedroom door when another figure caught his attention. "Raven!" He brushed by Beast Boy towards the girl who had sent the signal. She was slumped against the opposite wall unconscious.

He shook her shoulder, seeing the steady inhaling of her chest. "Raven," He called.

Violet hair fell across her features, but she did not awaken. Cyborg was at his side when he stood back up. "We should take her to the infirmary." The tin man suggested.

Robin nodded absentmindedly, eyes tracing up and down the hallway trying to put together what had happened here. Too bad he hadn't had cameras installed on this level. When the tower was being built he had wanted to, but then the Titan bedrooms required at least a little privacy.

The two were a few meters from Beast Boy's room and Raven's communicator was a little more down the hall. It didn't make sense. Cyborg was carefully picking Raven up to take up to the medic area. Starfire was talking with Beast Boy about what had happened.

Robin hoped Raven would remember something when she awoke. Either way, when she did he was demanding answers.

* * *

It was after midnight before Raven fell back into her physical body. She jerked awake, sitting up quickly in the bed. A foul odor that had become all too familiar recently assaulted her nose.

She was in the infirmary, again. Hands clenching around the blankets, she scanned the room. Empty.

Where was her watch dog this time?

And why was she here?

Raven had been angry at Robin… she was going to go back and get her spell book and…

Nothing. Was this unconsciousness again? Something must have gotten her from behind, taken her out while she wasn't paying it any mind.

So how'd she get here? Was there a villain?

The girl threw her feet over the edge and got out of bed. She purposely made noise in hopes of bringing forth her guard dog. _Here poochie_.

It was still silent. Raven shook her hair using a hand to push it back out of her way. She fixed the bed she had just been lying in and snatched up her cloak once more.

"Going somewhere?" The voice came from behind her, towards where the door was.

"Out of here." Raven responded, fixing the blue material and turning to greet Robin. "Unless you care to explain why I'm here."

"I was going to ask you the same." Robin moved closer, into the light from the windows. He looked tired the way his shoulders slumped.

"I remember turning away from my door." Raven stopped, unsure of what came next.

"And nothing else." Robin filled in with a sigh and sat down on the bed she had just made. Raven stood where she was watching him. "We found you and Beast Boy in the hall outside his room."

_Beast Boy?_ She hadn't seen him all day.

"You sent us a distress signal from your communicator." Robin added.

Raven searched her memory. To her knowledge, she had never done such a thing. "So what, I forgot that happened?"

"Looks like it."

"Robin, where is my spell book?"

Someone had to give in to get somewhere. Robin stuffed his pride down. "Cyborg's room."

"I'll be right back." Raven called and stepped into a black portal. She was gone in an instant. Robin fell back in the bed, he didn't expect her to return.

* * *

Raven called a portal up within Cyborg's room. She had already checked the time, surely he would be sleeping. All she had to do was snatch the book and be out.

The room was dark, even after all her dark energy evaporated. Raven had to wait a moment before moving for her eyes to adjust to the lighting.

When they did, she glanced over to the platform where Cyborg was supposed to be sleeping. It was empty.

Raven didn't like it. With all the things that had been going on (or supposedly going on), it concerned her that he was not sleeping. But first things first.

She started towards his computer, the most likely place for a misplaced book. It could only be her luck he had decided just recently to stack piles of books and papers there.

After a dramatic rolling of the eyes, she slid over to the desk and proceeded to look through the stacks.

It was five minutes before she spotted the torn brown spine, it was decorated elegantly with black markings. Quickly she pushed all the other books off of it, grasping it tightly in her hands. It felt so textured under her fingers.

Raven turned from the station, moving towards Cyborg's bed. He should be here, where else could he be at this time?

Switching the book to one hand, Raven extended a hand towards the empty metal table. There was something ever so slight pulsing from it…

As she got closer she could feel it. That aura.

Withdrawing her hand quickly, she stepped backwards into a portal. Her hands tightened over the book as she materialized back into the medic center.

Robin noticed the growing energy and quickly sat up. Raven stumbled out, eyes wide clutching her book.

"Cyborg's gone."

****

**_Avaritia_ : Also known as Greed. Beast Boy has packrat ways of keeping everything, and Cyborg is on a constant journey for power (leadership) and information.**

**Next chapter: _Superbia_.**

**You will find out what the spell means in later chapters. The Latin-based language here means "You commit a deadly sin". _Saligia _is the first letter of all the sins put together.**

**:Bloody Fae:**


	5. Superbia

**The 31st Night**

****

Tria A Nox Noctis

**Chapter 5: _Superbia_**

"What?" Robin stared at her.

"He's gone, I have a bad feeling-"

"You mean a premonition?" Robin gave her a dark look, casting glance to the book she was keeping tight in her arms.

"Now is not the time." She hissed, unwilling to bother with him in such a temper. "Can you track his signal?"

Robin shrugged and started out the door. "I'll find him."

"When you don't, call me." Raven shot at his back.

"Why don't you go awaken the other two, I'm sure they'd love to hear your excuse as well." Robin muttered and slammed the door shut behind him.

Raven was left glaring at the door out of spite. Some people had to be so headstrong. She waited until he would be long gone before leaving the room to go and get Starfire and Beast Boy up.

* * *

By the next morning, there was no news of Cyborg. His signal had either been disabled, or unreachable.

Raven and Robin were still not on speaking terms and the two left were not going to get into it.

"Maybe he is… visiting the Titans East?" Starfire offered as Robin paced in front of the large bay windows.

Robin shook his head without answering and continued thinking. How could Raven just stand around and _not_ tell him what was going on? Surely she had to know!

It bothered him more than anything. If one of their own was in danger… his teeth grit together. Why did she have to be that way?

* * *

Raven was sitting at the kitchen table only to annoy the boy. She knew he was just dying for her to speak, tell him something, anything. But no. Her hands were laid crossed over the book. She just sat there.

Cyborg was still very much MIA.

She knew if she cracked the spine of the book open she would need to explain. There had to be a reason she was second guessing herself. Did she secretly think she was to blame? Had she truly repeated her mistake and doomed them all?

No. She pressed down on the book so it imprinted in her skin. It was _not_ her fault.

What about that aura?

* * *

By evening that day the standoff was driving Beast Boy and Starfire mad. Their progress in finding Cyborg had not left the starting gate. There was tension in the room fine enough to slice up and serve.

"Please friends, we must bind together to locate Cyborg." Starfire pleaded again with Robin. He was now propped up in the computer chair, scanning the city for anything suspicious.

"Yeah, if only _some_ would cooperate." Robin muttered, zooming in on the screen.

Across the room Raven tilted her gaze away, sliding the book into her lap.

Beast Boy had learned to work around the two, watching his television with subtitles. It took a little more effort to read what they were saying, but it was sure better than facing whatever wrath those two had accumulated.

"Raven." Starfire switched her tactics, going for the mystic now. Raven did not move as Starfire rounded the table to give her a beseeching look. "Please Raven?"

Raven's eyes flickered to the girl, taking in her pitiful expression. She really was trying. Raven felt her icy exterior begin to fall. Leave it to the radiance of the sun to melt it away.

Sighing, "Fine."

A smile broadened Starfire's face and she looked like she was going to hug Raven. She remembered at the last moment and dashed back across to tug Robin over.

Raven plopped the book back onto the table, fingers grazing the antique cover. Beast Boy was yanked from the front of the TV to listen as well.

* * *

"Night…" Raven had the page cracked to the spell she had conjured earlier that week. All she'd do was read the spell. Then Robin could stop badgering her about it being her fault.

"Come to me." Her finger slid further down the lines, skipping a few. _What they don't know…_

"Occur my spirit and consume this time." More sliding. "Come to me."

Raven didn't bother to read anymore. She glanced up at Robin. "Satisfied?"

"What was it for?" Robin's eyes were scanning the worn pages trying to figure out how to decipher the scripture.

Snapping the book shut, Raven coddled it tightly in her arms once more. "None of your business."

"I think we've had this conversation once before."

"I was conjuring something for _me_, why would anyone else be bothered?" Raven raised challenging eyes to his.

"Maybe you did it wrong."

Beast Boy and Starfire were watching the battle as someone would watch a tennis match. Back, forth, a quick save…

"I do not make mistakes in such matters." Raven rose from her chair. Without a further word she headed for the sliding doors and then vanished into the hallway.

And point.

Robin grumble and headed for the kitchen, not speaking.

* * *

Raven cast the book aside when she entered her room. It landed somewhere on the tile with a soft thud. Her mind felt at ease once more. It was not a problem too personal to her.

Sure, Cyborg missing was bad, but it could be fixed. They just needed to figure out _where_ he went. There weren't too many places a tin man could hide out and not be noticed.

Raven laid down on her bed, feeling the soft fabric. She deserved a little rest.

Yawning into the blankets, she fell asleep.

* * *

There were screams, a man's and maybe her own? There was no way of telling.

And eyes. Sudden and all at once. Driving at her, pushing her away. Hands were at her throat. Were they hands? When she felt it, nothing was there. But she couldn't breathe.

Wrenching, the woman tried to push away. All of a sudden it had begun to bring her in. Sucking her through the darkness and crushing her life.

The eyes mocked her. A man was still yelling. _Help me!_ Where?

She closed her mouth when she recognized the sound of her own screaming in the chorus.

"_Superbia!"_ A howling echoed in the empty space. Where was it?

Where was she?

_"Adfero te malum, abnocto…"_ They were familiar words. She twisted about to try and find them. Her life was dwindling. The man was pleading for her assistance. She could not even help herself, let alone the caller.

Against her will Raven was consumed.

* * *

Raven shot up in her bed, a scream falling half-way off her lips. The eyes of her nightmare floated in front of her vision before fading away in the dark to creep back upon her subconscious.

Her chest heaved with breath and she could feel her hands trembling. This was… not right. Raven was constantly collected, mere nightmares never got to her this bad.

Clutching the blankets tighter to stop the fragmented nerves she closed her eyes. Some timed breathing would do her good.

* * *

She was a liar. Robin had concluded it.

He was currently turning on all the alert systems for the tower. Usually it was Cyborg's job to set it all up before retiring… but he was still missing.

Raven hadn't read that entire spell. After watching what words she related with each symbol… well the incantation had to be longer than what she was saying.

She was just doing it to get rid of him. Clearly she didn't feel the things happening were connected. Robin had a strong premonition they were, that was all he had to go on. If her spell wasn't to blame… then he had to explanation.

No other criminals had escaped, no violence in the city, nothing strange happening anywhere other than the tower.

Robin activated the feed for the last camera, watching the recording start. How much more had to happen before Raven would start talking? Was she really so headstrong- so confident in her own abilities?

He hit the button to turn off the monitor. The living room was suddenly thrown into darkness. If he looked at it the other way she almost made sense.

He never could admit his own mistakes. Well, not at first.

Still, he knew when to give it up. He wasn't putting anyone in danger with his need for secrecy.

When his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he started up for his room. Maybe he could try and do some research on those symbols before bed.

His footsteps padded up the stairs.

"_Superbia."_ Someone spoke from behind him.

Robin stopped on the stairs, straining his instincts. Did he have time to turn around? Should he run? He slid a hand to the utility belt at his waist. "S'cuse me?"

He whipped out a metal bird, twisting quickly and throwing it behind him. It whipped through the air cleanly. Robin could have sworn the voice had come from right there. The wall came up to his back as his eyes slid across the area. At least if he had his backside protected he only had to worry about a frontal assault.

In the dark, he waited.

"Devenio a mei…"

Robin's eyes widened at it breathed the words down his neck.

He hadn't the time to grab another weapon. The force pulled him back through the wall, smuggling away the yell that had formed in his lungs.

* * *

Cyborg awoke to a beeping. He moaned, sitting up on his metal bed. His arm was emitting the noise. What happened?

Cyborg checked the stats on his arm. It was October 27th, 9:23 a.m.

He squinted his eye at the date. That could not be right. Where had October 26th gone? And then it dawned on him. Sliding off the table he rushed to his computer. Carefully extracting his plug in, he snapped it into the hard drive.

Ten minutes later the boy plopped down into his computer chair. No memory existed for the 26th. His head smacked down on the keyboard in front of him. It beeped angrily at the violence.

What was going on?

* * *

Raven was the first one downstairs. She stared empty-eyed across the room, a warm mug stuck between her hands. After such an experience, sleep would not come again to her. How aggravating.

She had attempted to do a little panic control in Nevermore, but it was useless. Intelligence was scolding her for not telling Robin everything. Timid was said to have disappeared in a crying fit, Pride was being stubborn…

Anger lurked just out of the light trying to convince her it was all the Titan's fault for her nightmares.

Raven wished to listen to none of them. It was all nonsense. Instead she had tried to trap them back into the further regions of Nevermore. The barrier was only temporary, but it gave her a little break of peace.

And who should come to shatter what she had built up around herself? None other than Robin.

"Raven." He greeted. She cast him a glance, he didn't look all that put together himself.

"Robin." She returned the salutation and took a sit of her tea.

"I," He sat down looking as though he were trying to compose his thoughts. Raven waited not having much other choice. "I can't remember going to my bed last night."

"You know, there's been a lot of that going around." The mystic turned the cup around between her hands.

"What was the spell used for, precisely?" Robin had looked up and caught her eyes.

Raven narrowed her own. She should have known better. He would never give up. "I read you the _incantation_, I told you it was for my benefit."

"You didn't read it all." Robin snipped, eyes on the table.

"It was just the same things repeated." Pushing her mug away she contemplated getting up. She didn't need this after last night.

"Has the spell worked for you yet?"

Raven opened her mouth before finding she was missing her snaky remark. "It works within ten days of it's casting."

Taking count, a frigid look took place on Robin's features. "By Halloween."

"Yes." She got up from her seat intending to go back to her room. A figure rushed into the kitchen doorway. Raven turned her attention to it, feeling a jump in her circulation.

"Guys?" Cyborg greeted. He had a bewildered expression, did he even know why he was there?

Robin jumped up at the voice. "Cyborg!"

"Where have you been?" Raven asked, moving toward the metal man.

"I don't know. I… I have no memory of the 26th." His mouth was pulled into a tight line. Raven could relate. It was horrid to be unconscious where one could not remember what went on.

But to miss a day of your life?

"What happened?" Cyborg moved over to the table to take a seat, he was feeling too nervous to continue standing. Robin swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You were gone.."

* * *

By afternoon Raven and Robin were back at each other's throats. It was enough for half the day to be consumed with Cyborg's arrival, but after that…

"Robin stop it." Her voice was flat. She stalked up the stairs away from him, Robin was giving chase.

"This is _important!_" He yelled after her.

Starfire was curled up on the couch beside Cyborg, continuing to tell him how nice it was to have him back. Beast Boy was showing his appreciation by losing countless RoboWarz videogames.

"Importance is a matter of opinion." They could hear the girl's voice resounding through the tower walls.

"Raven!" There was a door slam and the sounds of someone pounding on it.

Cyborg chuckled, tossing the controller away after another victory. "I really don't know who'll give in first."

"Why must they continue in their fighting?" Starfire was scowling at the noise being raised upstairs. It was unlike those two to clash to fiercely.

"Raven might know something about what's going on." Cyborg leaned back on the couch, curling his hands behind his head.

"Why will she not just tell us?" Starfire reached over for the vacant controller to challenge Beast Boy.

Cyborg shrugged, "I suppose she doesn't think it's anything to be concerned about."

"Girls." Beast Boy scoffed, seated on the floor.

Starfire threw the controller, hitting him in the back of the head. Cyborg laughed and clapped Starfire on the shoulder.

* * *

Raven stared at the book. It was still laying on her floor where she had cast it yesterday. Robin had stopped beating upon her door, but she assumed he was still in the vicinity. He didn't dare use the password to come into her room after her, but if she stepped out…

All because of her stupid incantation. It had seemed like a brilliant idea in the beginning but…

She sighed and rolled over on her bed so she wouldn't have to look at it. Why did something that was supposed to be so good have to cause such trouble?

There was a tap at her door. "C'mon Raven." His voice was strained, "Please?"

Raven sat up on the bed. She stared at the door, tempted. He never used manners.

"Just go over everything and then neither of us will be bothered with this any further."

"You do not trust my judgment." Raven got up from the bed. The boy had cooled his temper considerably.

"I want to Raven, but this…" His voice faded away, muffled behind the metal.

The door whooshed open. Raven didn't know why she bothered with him any longer. How many times did she have to convince him? "If I tell you…"

"Not a word of it gets out." Robin vowed.

Raven looked over the situation before saying any more. "Come tomorrow morning."

The two looked at each other a moment later, gauging if they were at an agreement. Finally Robin nodded and turned away.

"Thanks Raven." Walking away he called to her. He seemed almost pleasant now.

The mystic frowned and shut her door. Darkness followed and her book mocked her from the corner. What was she _doing_?

****

**_Superbia_: Also known as Pride or vanity. Raven is guilty of being prideful, Robin is both prideful and vain at times.**

**Next chapter: _Luxuria_**.

Happy Halloween everyone! No translation for the spell in this chapter, because it's an important part to come later.

:Bloody Fae:


	6. Luxuria

**The 31st Night**

_**Tria A Nox Noctis**_

**Chapter 6: _Luxuria_ **

Raven was hurled back into consciousness after a night of torment. Her dreams were fanatical whimsies that sank lower and lower through the darkness. Screams and monsters and… fear.

She exhaled a vapid breath and brushed the blankets aside.

It was the morning.

And Robin would be hunting her down soon. No doubt to keep her to her word.

She wrenched a glance towards the clock sitting on her beside table. It was still early. If she was lucky she could get a shower in and stall for time.

A nice relaxing long shower. Tucking her messy hair back from her vision, Raven grabbed a new cloak and body suit from her closet.

Before she exited her room, she stood near her bedroom door silently. The last thing she needed was to open the door and find him. She needed time to consummate her thoughts correctly before talking to him.

The night's rest had given her no such peace.

There was no presence anywhere near her door. The closest one was Starfire, her radiant aura was swelling and falling calmly from a little further down the hall.

Raven slid her door aside and slipped out. The shower wasn't too far.

Nevertheless, she tread carefully and silently.

* * *

Robin was on alert. His mind had awoke long before the sun would stir, too early.

But the things that awaited the day were prominent. They buzzed in his mind and eased away the sleep.

When was the last time his own mind had allowed him the proper amount of sleep?

He couldn't remember. It didn't matter. He brushed his eyes, feeling the mask still there. In his contemplations, he had long forgotten to replace it.

There was a beeping noise that now drew his attentions. He pushed himself up, looking down at what he had been laying on. The keyboard.

The memory brought itself up. He had been… searching something. Online.

He wiggled the mouse to bring the screen in front of him to life. After a few seconds it kicked to life and brightened up.

There was pages of illiterate text from him sleeping on the keys. Robin rolled his eyes and closed out of the publishing document. He was about to shut down the computer when a minimized window caught his attention.

He clicked it, bringing up a search page

_Superbia_.

It was typed in the search box, the results scrolling below. It enraptured his curiosity. He didn't remember typing anything into search…

A sentence halfway down the page pricked that interest. It was bolded. "Superbia, also known as Pride…" He mouthed it aloud.

He clicked the link, a blinding white page loading up. Where had that word come from? It itched his brain. He had heard it somewhere before… somewhere…

The title of the web page read "Seven Deadly Sins". All seven were listed with their proper root name. _Superbia_.

Pride…

Raven?

Something clicked. Yes, she promised to talk to him this morning. Maybe she could explain this.

Robin book marked the page before hitting the monitor off button. There was a clean uniform hanging across his bed he had never gotten around to. Snatching it up, the boy hurried for the bathroom. A quick shower… and then Raven.

* * *

Robin couldn't help turning the ideas around and around in his head. Maybe he could raffle-shake them just right and come up with something.

He wasn't having much luck.

Padding into the bathroom, he swung the door shut, his hand moving to click the lock. His ears were attuned to the click… but it didn't come.

Placing his clothes down in a lumpy pile, he moved to the door lock, pushing it harder. Only after a minute of force did it lock properly. That's just what he needed, someone to walk in while he showered.

Cyborg would need to fix that later before it happened to someone.

Robin pulled his shirt up over his head, stretching in the same motion. His back arched up and curved, the shirt in his hands far above his head.

And then there was a foreign noise.

* * *

Raven wrapped a towel around herself, stepping out of the shower and sliding the glassy door behind her.

There was a half groan somewhere near her and Raven froze. She spun around, eyes searching for the cause of the alien noise.

Robin had turned at the same time, arms quickly falling to his sides and on guard.

And their eyes met.

Raven's violet hair was still dripping in stringy locks, droplets of water slid down her cheeks. The darkly colored towel was tucked tightly across her mid section, but did nothing to hide her legs.

Typically, Robin seen her legs quite often… but this was different. Very different.

It was but a second they stood frozen at each other, but the entirety of the situation drained into Robin's mental eye.

He was going to die. His heart was hammering painfully as if to prove the point. Raven's eyes narrowed.

To humans, the physical body meant something. She had seen the looks Robin sent Starfire. It was something Raven never quite got. How could the same basic anatomy make such… lust?

Her hand extended, the towel sliding slightly lower. Robin took a careful step back, hand reaching for the knob…

"Out!" She shrieked finally at him, whipping her arm forward. A wave of black magic came at him. It hit him before he could turn the knob and slashed him back through the wall and into the hall.

The landing must have been painful. If Robin had been paying any attention at all, it would have registered.

He slid to the floor in a slumping pile. He was alive.

With that memory.

He sat in that position a long time. There was no thoughts curling within his mind. There was shock setting in. Images kept bubbling beneath his eyelids.

Raven didn't come out of the bathroom, and he wasn't willing to check and see if she had phased out.

Instead he watched the wall quite blankly. That was something he never thought he'd see.

It was hard to consider Raven a sexual being. He had never really taken a thought to her being female and well…

Now she was. Clearly and obviously female.

His head thudded back against the way painfully. Never, never would he get rid of those images.

* * *

Raven laid on her bed. She stared at the ceiling a good long time.

That was… the most horrific thing to happen to her yet. Still, it wasn't tragic. Human placed too much important on the physical aspect of a being. No telling what kind of things were going through that boy's mind.

She hated to think of that. It had been her goal to seem as asexual as possible. She didn't need a demon child to further the Trigon legacy.

And now…

Hadn't he realized someone was in the bathroom? The fool.

How was she supposed to deal with him now?

Just on the bridges of her consciousness there was a headache blossoming.

* * *

Robin had ventured a knock on the bathroom door. His last set of clean clothes was still in there after all.

Not to mention it was probably a safe bet that Raven had fled.

There was no answer. Robin pulled a bird-a-rang from his belt intending to pick the lock

"_Luxuria…_"

The voice was familiar, but in the annoying manner of someone long forgotten. Someone with a misplaced name and number…

He spun on the spot, holding the weapon up to use the sharp end as a knife if need be.

The hallway was empty. He could feel the back of his neck prickling unkindly. It was the lack of beings that tensed the wave on his shoulder.

"_Te spiritus…" _It was behind him again and he turned to meet it.

"_Devenio a mei." _Behind him again.

Robin had made a complete circle, it still cooed just over his shoulder. Was he mad?

"What!" He shouted at it and spun around again. It was there, breathing hot against his throat. He swung and arm with the bird-a-rang over his shoulder to try and get at it.

The think stayed on him like a shadow. He could feel an abnormal prickling on his neck.

When he touched a hand there, it felt warm and gooey. Blood.

And then it came down on him. "_Devenio!"_ Two sharp jabs punctured the flesh on the back of his neck. It was almost vampiric as he spun, a hand feeling the wound. He was bleeding, it was pulsing with his heart in a hungry rhythm.

His fear did not help the beat.

Instead of continuing to fight the invisible perpetrator, he ran.

His footsteps were messy and haphazard, but he started down the hallway, dropping the weapon and clamping the hand more tightly over the wound.

He was only halfway back down the hall when it jumped onto his back. The force and momentum tripped him up and Robin met the tiled floor hard.

Breathing was bloody. He had smacked his forehead and nose on the floor in a tragic manner. The thing was crushing his back and grinding him into the floor more. His spine cracked in places and his muscles were protesting.

Copper laced his tongue and his mind felt dizzy.

The blackness that had started on his back spread across his body, swallowing him whole.

* * *

"Have you seen Robin?" Starfire had ventured out of the kitchen with large oven mittens over her hands. There was a short apron tied around her waist with "Kiss the Cook" printed in scrawling print.

Cyborg raised an eye from the video game he was dominating to turn attention to the girl.

"Nope, but then again I haven't see Raven either."

"Oh." She sighed and fidgeted slightly with the mittens. There was a plastic spider dangling just above her head, having escaped its pasty web.

"Why? What have you cooked for Boy Blunder now?" Cyborg smacked a few keys to pull himself back into the lead. Beast Boy grunted beside him, wholeheartedly focused on the game.

She smiled a little coyly. "I have perfected the pie of pumpkins."

"Mmm." Cyborg mumbled in his throat. "Easiest way to a man's heart is through his stomach." He commented.

Starfire seemed perplexed. "That sounds most painful."

Cyborg took his eyes from the screen to give her a pleading look. "It's a figure of speech."

"Aah." She nodded. "What does it mean?"

"The surest way to a man's affections is food." Cyborg worded his answer carefully. He had learned long ago what dangers it was to be giving the girl an incorrect, or possibly interpretable, definition was.

Starfire nodded, feeling her cheeks warm. It was true she offered him plenty of her home-world creations.

Did he really appreciate it that much?

She hugged her arms around herself smiling a bit. "If you see him will you tell him I have made the pie?"

Cyborg stifled a smile and turned back to finish off the game. "Sure Star, whatever you say."

* * *

Raven drummed her fingers on the table. Everyone was seated down for dinner but Robin was still missing.

She didn't give much thought to the reason, he was simply avoiding her. Maybe that was the best course. After… this morning. Both needed a little space. A lot of space.

Starfire seemed worried though. For some reason she kept glancing at her perfect pie sitting on the counter. She had denied Beast Boy when he asked to have a slice. It was particular behavior for such a generous girl.

At least this way she wouldn't have to explain anything. By the time he got over whatever was going on internally, the spell would be finished. Then he wouldn't be able to blame any of the weirdness on her.

Only a few more days now…

She pushed the food around on her plate not at all hungry. No one seemed to notice or care. She passed up food often.

Her body needed little nourishment.

While her mind was wandering, her food mixing in a ghastly concoction there was a sudden spark.

Something sharp, a quick surging power pricked her senses. It was familiar, in a dreadful way. Her body froze as she concentrated on it. It was in the tower… a little ways off.

It pulsed malevolently. She needed to go see it immediately.

Raven stood, brushing her cape around her and sliding the chair back in. Cyborg gave her a sidelong glance but she wasn't paying him any attention.

"Raven?"

He called but she was already striding out of the room.

* * *

It was the aura again. But even as she grew closer it was falling away. She ran, but the spirit kept with her pace.

When she reached its pulsing point, the entirety of it had vanished. She was in the middle of a hallway. Her breathing was a little ragged.

She was just a few feet from the bathroom door now.

Something terrible was still fuming around in her stomach. Her and Robin had been here earlier. And she hadn't seem Robin yet.

_Damn_.

* * *

Starfire hummed as she cleared off the dinner table. The rest of the Titans had dispersed, leaving her with kitchen duty. Usually Robin would stick around and help her. She still hadn't seen him.

She missed his presence. Always just beside her, warming her skin with his presence.

She sighed and tried not to dwell on such occasions. It made concentrating on her task that much harder.

The girl dumped the used plates into the sink and turned on the faucet to warm the water.

"_Luxuria…"_ Starfire had been caught up inside her mind, unnoticing of the hissing voice.

She placed the bouquet of flowers back into the center of the table, running her fingers across the velvet petals. Her pie was still sitting untouched on the table. A sigh escaped her lips as she moved to grab it. She'd have to put it into the refrigerator. But then it wouldn't be any good… the demon blue fuzz still dwelled there. And after all her effort.

"_Spiritus… Devenio."_

Starfire caught it this time, turning around with the pie in her hands. The living room was empty.

"_Te saligiare…"_

"H-hello?" Starfire took a step back, bumping back into the table.

"_Te spiritus edo usurpo."_ The voice was stronger, alluring its victim.

Starfire was shaking, trying to find the source of noise.

And then there were eyes. It wept tears of blood as it came for her. Crimson streaks down ivory cheeks.

Starfire screamed, the dish falling from her hands. The force overtook her before it shattered the floor.

**_Luxuria:_ Also known as Lust. Robin and Starfire are guilty of these emotions. Robin for being male, Starfire is from a race of beings that are very physical.**

**Next chapter: _Invidia_ **

**Translation: Lust… Your spirit, come to me. You are guilty of sin.. You belong to me.**

**Sorry this took so long, computer problems galore, it ate this chapter twice. Anger. Review please. And no yelling about couples or whatnot this is horror, not romance.**

**:Bloody Fae:**


	7. Invidia

**The 31st Night**

_**Tria A Nox Noctis**_

**Chapter 7: _Invidia_**

Raven stretched out under her covers feeling the silky blankets pass over her skin. Was it morning already?

Her hand groped the side of her bed for her pocket watch style clock. She brought it up to her bleary gaze.

October 29th, 5:23 AM.

What a horrible hour to be awoken. Then again, it was better than the sleep she had been getting as of recently. Even after finding Robin asleep last night, the aura plagued her.

Counting today, she had three days for the spell to work. So far there had been signs of such effects taking place. Unless that aura was it.

But then why was it so… malevolent?

And why had it been so far from its intended target? She had placed the spell to work on herself and in theory it should stick around her until completing its task.

There was something so suspicious and wrong about it.

She should speak to Robin. She probably should tell him everything. He trusted them all to rely on one another. Work as a team- and as friends.

He had been given a day to recover after their… unfortunate meeting yesterday. The girl had said she'd tell him.

Raven sighed and let the clock drop from her fingers. What a terrific day this was starting out as.

* * *

By the time Cyborg reached downstairs, it was busy.

Beast Boy had already run and attached himself to the video games. He was working up the levels of a new zombie game in the spirit of the holiday.

Starfire was, surprisingly, slouching and badly tempered on the couch. He caught her sour expression as he rounded and plopped down beside her. The Tameranian did shuffle slightly to accommodate his weight on the sofa, but her arms remained crossed.

Before asking (and possible getting a literal death glare) Cyborg twisted to scout out the rest of the room.

And spotted the object of her temper. Robin and Raven were sitting at the far side of the table, hunched over a book. Their voices were lowered and they were sitting kind of close…

Yikes.

Didn't Raven know better than to do something like that? Especially where Starfire could see them.

And Robin hadn't shown up for dinner yesterday. Yesterday when Raven excused herself early. Cyborg swallowed a knot. He could see the conclusion she was jumping to. Obviously Raven and Robin couldn't work like that, they both knew Starfire's feelings.

But the alien girl was always too rushed and passionate with her emotions. She didn't take time to ask the questions and think of things logically.

And currently she looked too envious to do anything other than stare holes through the TV.

Cyborg almost worried about the television. He could see her eyes sparking that neon green. He really hated to have to rebuild the thing again.

Glancing back at Raven he stared at her hard wishing her to look his way. Maybe she didn't get it that Starfire was… angry.

* * *

Raven had grabbed Robin the moment he dared venture out into the living room. She had the spell book tucked in under her cloak as she pulled him to the table.

He gave her a puzzled and slightly wary look until she slid the old book onto the table top. "I said I'd tell you."

"Ah, Raven about yesterday,"

Raven held up a quick hand to silence him. "Merely a physical wound, I would be more concerned had you violated my mind."

The boy said nothing but nodded. It was still early morning, but the other Titans would be waking soon.

"Shouldn't we talk somewhere more private?" Robin suggested it offhandedly. She had expressed extreme caution on the information of her spell casting. He didn't want to have any flies on the wall if it was truly that personal.

"No, here is fine." Raven could already feel Starfire's aura making its way downstairs. It would be wrong for her to take Robin anywhere Starfire couldn't watch them. Starfire had missed Robin yesterday and probably needed a little reassurance he was okay.

So they would talk in the open. Starfire would naturally stay away from the two if they seemed to be in a conversation. She was always generous enough to let Robin do as he wanted.

Raven cracked the book up, flipping to the page of text. "The spell was designed to work for me. I meant it when I said it."

Her finger pressed to the heading of the page. She translated the language roughly for him, "Succumb of Souls."

"What does it do?" He could hear someone clopping down the stairs to the living room. He pressed away the concern to focus on the dark girl.

"Since Trigon has been pushed back, my emotions have been very unstable. They continue surging past my guard now that Intelligence deems I have no good reason to keep them back."

"And you won't allow that?"

Raven wrinkled her nose at the thought. "A little emotion makes you human. Any more is not necessary."

Robin shrugged at her. She had been without truly feeling for so long… maybe it made sense not to need so much emotion.

"The spell was designed to swallow up my excess emotions. It's a little complicated, but would work as a permanent barrier to keep back most of the emotional force."

"Why didn't you just erect the spell in the first place, before Trigon?"

"He would have prevented such a spell from taking place. And anyway, I needed those emotions in the end."

Robin as looking down at the book, eyes skimming lines of gibberish. "Do you think you could have messed up?"

Raven sighed more to herself. "I have considered it. But I did research and went over this spell countless times. I know the price of messing with magic."

Robin waited for her. She seemed to be contemplating something over in her mind. He could see it working from her eyes to her vocal cords.

"Something must have gone wrong." She now looked down at the spell. There was waves of anger in the room. She had no doubt it was from Starfire, the heat was passionate. She'd have to worry about that later.

"What else do you know?" Raven's hand had been skimming across the lines in frustration. The boy placed a gloved hand over it to catch her attention. "Raven…" He warned.

"There's an aura." She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "It's malevolent."

"Where?"

"I don't know. It occurs randomly throughout the tower. Last night there was one."

"Last night?" Last night… where was he? He had gone to get his clothes…

"Yeah. I followed it to that hallway before it was gone. I went and checked on you. You were sleeping though."

"I don't remember going to bed." It occurred to him all at once. That couldn't be right.

"It's been going around." Raven bit her lip as she reread over her spell. "I know what all these words mean, I can translate it but-"

"Do it." He looked at her through the mask.

"All of it?" She slid the idea over in her head.

"Yeah."

* * *

Raven hadn't noticed his gaze. Worse yet, Robin had touched her hand.

Albeit it was briefly, Starfire caught it. She continued to sulk, made angrier just by the fact that no one was acknowledging her emotions. Beast Boy was consumed in his playing and Cyborg was still… afraid.

She was a strong girl. A fierce and slightly intimidating girl. It was better not to meddle in her matters if he didn't have to. As long as she didn't go and try to take out her envious emotions on anyone, he wouldn't have to.

Starfire huffed under her breath. Cyborg could tell it was bait. She wanted him to ask her what was up.

Oh no. Not falling for that.

"Hurry up Beast Boy, I want a turn." He called instead. Cyborg usually tried to be there to talk, but there was some things he wouldn't deal with.

Her and Robin's relationship was a big one. That was theirs alone. He wouldn't get pulled into that tango.

Starfire shot up from her seat still fuming. The boy panicked for a moment, maybe he would have to be the big man-

No. Phew. She was stalking past the couple at the table. Raven turned to look at her strangely. Starfire finished through the room, smashing the button to open the door to the hallway. He'd need to repair that later.

* * *

"I guess I could-" Raven had started to give in. A large spike in emotion made her breath pause. She squinted her eyes and turned her head. Starfire was stalking out of the room positively flaming.

It burned her senses and pounded in her mind. And empath could only take so much.

But it was rolling off her. How could her people stand to feel _so_ much? There was a headache brewing from her just being too close.

"Raven?" Robin was watching her curiously. She had just suddenly spaced and she looked to be in pain.

"No, ah-" She could still feel Starfire moving away. And then there was… that aura. Pure evil.

Starfire was moving away, and towards it.

Raven snapped her book shut quickly and snatched it into her arms. Ignoring Robin and his questioning, she started for the door the other girl had just vanished through.

"Raven!" Robin called and started after her. There was something strange going on.

The mystic waved a hand, sparking her magic. A black portal appeared in front of her just as she got to the door. Quick stepping into it, she aimed for the hallway Starfire was still radiating from.

Robin watched her vanish in a black whirlpool as though she had walked right through the door.

"Damn." What had that been all about? Wasn't she just going on about filling him in?

And then she just ran. Without explanation. _That girl._ He unclenched his hands, feeling four eyes on his back and anger burn in his stomach.

* * *

How was she supposed to take that? Robin hadn't even come to dinner the previous night. She had made him a wonderful dinner and pie of pumpkins.

And the next day she didn't even get a 'good morning'? No excuse for his absence? Instead he went right over to chat with Raven.

Bitter. It was in the air all around her. She didn't want to feel sadness, it was better to feel angry.

To feel envy.

Her footsteps were heavy and loud on the floor. She had no idea where she was headed and no care to give it a name or identity. She needed to wear herself out, burn away the anger and spite.

"_Te Invidia."_ The walls were calling to her. Maybe it was her own mind.

But it wasn't any language she was familiar with. Her feet stopped their movement as curiosity took over. "Hello?"

She turned around to look back. There were closed doors down that hall. No signs of a human.

"_Devenio a mi. Te."_

There it was again. She spun back around, her hair lashed with the quick movements. Still no one.

"Show yourself!" She demanded now. It was no time for foolish trickery.

Something slid down her arm and she shrieked, firing a half-ready star bolt to her right. It buried itself into the wall and a chunk of it crumbled to the floor. Oops.

She glanced down at her arm.

And screamed. It was red. There was blood. Slick and-

Frantic, she wiped a hand across it. She didn't feel hurt? It came off muddily onto her hands. And there was a gash. It marred her skin creatively. Long and curvy and still bleeding heavily.

Smacking a hand over it with a little difficulty she could feel herself trembling.

"Starfire!" There was a voice. Someone… Raven! Yes. Where was Raven?

A floor down? Too far.

"Raven!" She screamed it back at the girl. The empty hallway was now making her edgy. She didn't remember this part of the tower. She should have been questioning where she was.

"_Saligia!"_

There it was again. It was in her ears, in her head. She spun in a tight circle feeling nauseous. Her hands were glazed in blood.

"Raven!" She yelled again and started running. Her feet lifted off the ground. "Help!" She flew down the hallway picking up speed.

Her heart was pounding. But it was after her, on her. She could feel it.

* * *

Raven appeared in the hallway. Starfire was radiating from this point. There was no girl in sight.

"Starfire!" She yelled it. That aura was around here as well. It was mingling with Starfire.

How could they be here… and yet not?

"Raven!" It was her voice. It sounded echoic and muffled. A floor up? A floor down?

Maybe she was in one of the rooms?

She rushed footsteps down the hallway. "Starfire!" She called again and broke into a run.

The energy in the air was building. It was pushing her away. Keeping her back.

Her foot smacked down on something… not quite floor. She slowed her step, taking a glance.

Blood.

It was fresh, she could smell it now. It was almost splattered across the floor, droplets led towards her and in front of her.

Starfire?

A sickness stirred in her stomach. She ran forward again. Where was she? She felt to be everywhere.

Her aura was scattered, the malevolence was suffocating.

"Help!" The call was so soft. Could she?

The walls were bobbing and shaking and… Raven was unstable. A pressure had entered her mind and was lulling her lower. It enticed her mind. She felt sleepy and-

Her knees gave out beneath her. The floor was wet beneath her. Sticky even. Her eyelids were drooping out of her control. She wasn't tired. She was fine.

Starfire needed saving. She needed saving because of her. Because of Raven's own conjuring.

It had to be that.

There was laughing in her ears. Feminine.

The world crashed around her as the bases gave in.

**_Invidia:_ Also known as Envy. Starfire, very obviously.**

**Next chapter: _Ira_ **

**Translation: You envy. Come to me. You. You commit a deadly sin!**

**Any guesses on what's going on so far? One sin left my dears.**

**:Bloody Fae:**


	8. Ira

**The 31st Night**

_**Tria A Nox Noctis**_

**Chapter 8: Ira**

Raven awoke to the infirmary. The room was dark again, the scent of the cleaners assaulted her senses. Her head was pounding horridly.

With sore muscles, she pushed herself up and blinked through the darkness. The reoccurring blackouts were becoming ridiculous. She remembered talking with Robin and… nothing.

A presence beside her bed drew her attention. Robin was slumped over the back of a chair and sleeping on his folded arms. She reached out to jostle his shoulder. The sleep hadn't been deep, he jerked awake at once.

"Raven, you're awake."

"Seems that way." The mystic pushed the blankets away from her, curling her legs underneath her and sitting. Her attention turned to the boy.

He looked terrible. The trademark mask was crooked and his hair was terrible messy, he looked too pale.

"I fear to ask what happened." Her voice was soft in the darkness.

"I haven't anything to report. You ran off after Starfire and when we caught up to you, you were unconscious and Starfire was missing. We still can't get a lock on her communicator."

Raven pressed fingers to her temple and moved them slowly in circles. Her mind was a mess and too many things were surging past their limits. "What time is it?"

"Nearly six am now," He was looking down at his own communicator.

Had she been out that long? Piles of hours without recollection, it was unnerving. "The 30th?"

He nodded in affirmation. Pressure pushed down on her thoughts. It was a day until the spell was supposed to be finished. Her emotions felt no more muted. "Do you have my book?"

"Yeah," Robin got up from his post and moved to one of the father tables to grab the intricately designed book. He passed it to her and reached up above her bed to twist the shades open. The sun was near rising and the early light spilled through the room to illuminate the two of them.

Raven cracked the book, sifting through the crisp pages for her spell. When she found it she placed the book down on her lap. Robin retook his seat and leaned closer.

"The spell in theory is to release a succubus that will take and devour parts of the intended person's soul." Raven lifted her eyes from the book to Robin, his mouth was set in a straight line, but his eyebrows had drawn together in a disgusted expression.

"In most cases it was used to eject demons or tainted parts of the soul. In my case it is supposed to devour the excess emotions I have within Nevermore so I can have a better control on those left."

"Has it worked?" The domino eyes were watching her closely.

"No." It came out sounding annoyed. "But I don't see how a spell intended for myself would be creating memory loss for others."

"And you're sure you cast the spell correctly?"

"I'm not that irresponsible Robin," She was feeling the heat of anger push on her. Why did he have to be so hell bent on finding some flaw in _her. _"Do you think I never learned my lesson from the last time?"

Robin wrinkled his nose at that. "No, but we have Titans disappearing and reappearing with no memory left and right. You tampered with your books, so the only conclusion I can find is that _you_ did something wrong."

Raven glared at him. "I'll keep that in mind." She hissed it and slid off the opposite side of the bed. Taking only the book she opened a portal and disappeared from the room.

Robin glared at the bed feeling stupid and angry all at once.

--------------

Cyborg and Beastboy hung around the living room most of the day. It was neutral ground, and therefore safe from the fuming tempers upstairs.

Robin and Raven had been at their arguing for hours. They would storm out of their rooms to the other and shout at each other for a good half an hour before one of them became far too heated and returned to their rooms.

Beastboy continued up the levels of his zombie game, completely blocking the chaos out. Cyborg, however, vegged on the couch thinking. Starfire was still missing.

He didn't have a doubt that she would eventually show up, memory-less and dazed, it was just painful to wait for her. Half of Robin's anger probably came from the fact that it was Starfire that was missing this time.

He sighed, vaguely watching the zombie battle on the screen. There were more voices upstairs and the slamming of a door.

One of the spiders from Starfire's decorations hung just above his head. He plucked it off its string and held it tightly in his hand.

--------------

Raven smoldered. It was so like Robin to condemn her, punish her for her past and her stereotype. He was being completely irrational in Starfire's absence, it was so unnecessary.

She laid on her stomach across her bed. The spell book, careless tossed, mocked her from its position on the floor. It dared her to reread her spell, taunted her that it might be her fault after all.

It took only ten minutes of the curious torture for her to conjure the book in front of her.

Slowly she flipped to the page. Succumb of Souls, read the title.

""_Nox noctis_…"Her fingers traced the words, translating their English meaning as she read. "_Devenio a mei. Animus, spiritus, effusio es meus per te essum."_

She skipped a few of the same lines and slid down to one of the last lines. "_Occuro ab mei animus, edo te aetas. Adfero te_--"

And then there was a word, slightly smudged. She pulled the book closer and pressed the page flat to peer at the word. It looked like it said 'matum' but the end of the root word was smudged. It wasn't a -u, but a curvy -er. The -m was an -ia where the letters flowed together and seemed as though they were one.

That made the word 'materia', material and matter. It sounded right.

Something was working in the girl's mind. She hadn't originally spoken that word. Raven sat up and away from the book

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked at the word. From this distance the word looked like 'matum'. She followed the letters with her eyes, stopping at the t. The cross on it was so slight she couldn't see it from that distance.

She had read the word wrong. A conclusion crashed around her, pressure and heat built within her head.

After all that, it was her fault. How could she tell them? Guilt was consuming the air. She blinked hard, glaring at the one misshapen word.

Raven had read it as 'malum' and been too preoccupied to realize the translation of the word was so very wrong.

"Evil…" She whispered it to her room, her masks grinned and frowned at her in ironic amusement.

She had conjured something malevolent.

-----------

Robin beat at his punching bag. It swayed heavy and hard on the chain as he brutalized it. Why did she have to be so impossible? Why couldn't she just take one second to consider maybe it _was_ her at fault?

Starfire was still missing. He was acting so irresponsible for his team, where were all those leadership and detective skills he had been so early-groomed with?

He took a quick roundhouse kick to the bag and the chains rattled. These were intolerant slipups.

Fists matched the leather in fury, the friction was hot and his knuckles were already aching, but he continued.

"_Ira.."_ A voice hissed at him. His right fist stopped just before hitting the bag and his body froze.

"_Devenio a mei_. _Te saligiare."_

Robin twisted around quickly to spot the intruder. The room was empty.

"_Te spiritus edo usurpo."_ The voice was echoing and everywhere, bounding off the walls.

The air was getting heavy and Robin gasped for breath. He had to get out of there. Gravity grew within the room and he pressed forward for the door. The hissing voice followed him.

-----------

Raven clutched the book tightly to her beneath her cloak. All anger and pride beside, she had to tell Robin.

She headed down the hallway towards Robin's room where he was likely to be fuming. Halfway there the aura appeared. It was not far off and prickled at her senses. It had to be after Robin… and all because of her selfishness.

Raven ran, beating against the waves of malevolence that pushed to keep her away. She passed Robin's room and continued down the hall. The aura was spouting from the training room at the end of the corridor.

She reached the door just as a large spike of the aura pushed into her. The door to the training room burst open and Robin stumbled out, falling to the ground.

"Robin!" Raven dropped her book and crouched over the boy.

"No… get away!" He was looking wildly around and trying to push himself away from her.

"_Ira, te saligiare!"_ A voice echoed down the hall and the mystic was hit with a pulsation of energy. Her knees met the ground, but she propped her hands against the floor to keep herself up.

She had to… Robin… run…

Everything was getting darker and the energy was so crushing…

"Robin." She could see him still trying to escape a faceless voice. If she could get just a second or two of concentration she could teleport them away.

"_Te Spiritus, a mei."_ It spoke into her ear. It wanted her spirit.

What had she set loose? Fury began to connect itself throughout her body, she felt the magic gather at her fingertips.

"Azarath…" She picked one hand off the floor and aimed it at Robin to draw him in. The edged of her vision was getting dark. The voice shrieked now, it's banshee cry was scratching her concentration. "Metrion, Zinthos."

Black magic expelled itself, wrapping around Robin and herself tightly. They melted through the floor and fell right through several floors.

Raven held up her bubble for as long as she could before the exhaustion caught up to her. The two crash landed on the living room floor, bringing multiple spider webs down with them.

---------

Robin awoke to a large plastic spider suspended just above his vision. He pushed it away and attempted to sit up. Besides groaning muscles, spider web was all tangled around him.

"Robin? Raven?" Cyborg suddenly appeared in his vision looking concerned, Beast Boy stood beside him but was looking to Robin's left.

Her turned his head to see Raven, still unconscious. Her cape was torn and slashed and one particularly nasty gash had cut through her suit and into her stomach.

"Wha--" Robin's throat was dry and he was unable to grasp the situation.

Cyborg moved over to Raven and placed two fingers on the lesion in her side, they came away covered in crimson blood. "We gotta get her to the infirmary." Just as quickly as he said it, the boy scooped her up and started for the living room door.

Robin stumbled up, more than a bit dazed and quickly untangled himself from the mass of webs. He followed Beast Boy up to the infirmary.

-------------

Cyborg had discreetly wrapped the wound and checked all her vitals, but other than the gash and her unconsciousness, she was perfectly fine.

"And you remember nothing?" Cyborg was sitting on a chair beside Raven's bed; Robin paced back and forth at the end.

"We were yelling at each other and I decided to go to the training room and then… I was waking up in the living room."

"You two must have fallen through the ceiling." Cyborg was looking at the pieces of spider web Robin had still stuck in his hair. The boy ran an angry hand through it and ruffled his hair up further.

"I don't know. I didn't even know that Raven was around, I thought she'd have been sulking."

Cyborg shrugged and then turned to chide Beast Boy for playing around with one of the computers.

------------

"_Saligiare!"_ It chased her in the dark and slashed at her cape. Her ears burned and she tore away from the creature. It was never fast enough.

"_Te Spiritus a mei."_ There was blood and eyes and pressure. She tripped and it was on her, ripping her clothes and gouging claws into her chest…

It touched her heart with serrated claws and Raven screamed.

Her eyes opened and she sat up abruptly in a soft bed. There was darkness and the acrid smell, someone flicked on the light. Raven pressed a hand over her heart, it was fine.

She shielded her eyes and tried to keep the shaking of her hands under control. The creature had that aura, whatever it was had been the thing she set loose from her book.

"Raven?" Cyborg was beside her, she hadn't noticed him. Placing a hand on her shoulder he tried to push her back into the bed cushion.

She was so sick of waking up here. "No, no, I'm fine." Monotony, she pushed his metal hand away and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Robin appeared over Cyborg's shoulder.

"Do you remember anything that happened?"

The girl took a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain as she did so. Briefly she looked down at the bandage wrapped around her midsection.

"You had a nasty cut." Cyborg informed her.

"I was heading to Robin's room and--" She paused. The information was there, but it was foggy and dreamlike. "I felt something, so I headed past Robin's room to the training room." Her hand moved and pressed to her temple. "There was something after you, I can't remember anything else."

Robin sighed. "Why were you heading to my room in the first place?"

Raven looked up at him. "There is something about the spell."

A frown pushed down on his features. He watched her critically.

The girl took a breath and looked him straight on, "There was a word smudged in the spell. I'm not sure what I conjured, but it wasn't the succumb."

Robin dropped into the chair at the end of her bed. His shoulders sank and he buried his hands in his unruly hair.

"I--" She struggled to push the words out and Cyborg looked on curiously. "I am sorry." Her tongue wouldn't allow any more blasphemous words to pass out. Robin didn't move, he was looking at the floor. Cyborg seemed strangely impressed.

They stayed that way until the sun rose on that Halloween morning.

_**Ira: Also known as Wrath. **_

**Thank my latest reviewer Hopeslilangel for the revival of this story. I do appreciate all the other bribing reviews, you all are awesome. I know I hate when writers leave stories unfinished, so I won't give up on this.**

**One chapter left.**

**:Bloody Fae:**


	9. Erinyes

**The 31st Night**

_**Tria A Nox Noctis**_

**Chapter 9: Erinyes**

Starfire awoke to a bright sunlight filtering through the high tower windows. She blinked it away and covered her face, rolling over. What she had been laying on did not permit the action and she rolled onto the floor with a shriek.

Someone already snoozing there gave a snort, "Dude! Get off!"

"Beast Boy!" Starfire jumped up, her head spinning a little from the blood rush. "Many apologies!" She held a hand down to the changeling.

"Starfire?!" Beast Boy had finally chosen to look up and see, bathed in bright sunshine, the Tameranian Princess. He grabbed her hand to haul himself up and plant a tight hug around her middle. "You wouldn't believe how good it is to see you! C'mon we need to get you to Robin right away…"

With a stuttering and confused girl on his arm, Beast Boy sprinted for the stairs.

* * *

Robin and Cyborg waited in the infirmary. Raven had finally decided their sitting around wasn't getting anything done and vanished to her room to gather "resources."

Robin sulked.

"Anger and condemning aren't going to fix this." Cyborg was changing the bed sheets and putting away all the medical supplies.

"I just want a few minutes to feel like it's _somebody's_ fault." The boy riled his hair and crossed his arms.

Cyborg sighed and puffed a few pillows before tossing them onto the bed. "We're going to need Raven's help to reseal whatever it was that got out."

Robin shrugged his shoulder but made no other movements. "Is she ever coming back?"

"Eventually."

"We don't have all day." He glared at his boots and at the newly made bed.

Cyborg ran a hand over his head in frustration.

Robin got up from his chair frustrated with the entire room and Cyborg's sudden silence. "I'm going to take a shower."

He was out the door before Cyborg could respond: Raven told them to stay put.

* * *

"Guys guess what!" Beast Boy burst into the infirmary with a gusto. He was grinning toothily, but that quickly shrank when he noticed his audience was but one Titan.

Cyborg turned his attention as Beast Boy's companion stumbled in the room beside him. "Ahh, Starfire!" The fiery red hair was in tangled and her clothes were rumpled, but the girl was still a sight for sore eyes.

He slid over to her and heaved her out of Beast Boy's grip, crushing her in a hug. "I was beginning to think there'd be no end to Robin's moodiness." He patted her head like one would a child and released her.

Starfire stood winded and dumbfounded. "I am grateful you all are so enjoyed to see me, but I am confused to the reason for such joy."

"Where was she?" Cyborg turned to address Beast Boy, he looked a little too pleased with himself.

"The living room, she landed on me this morning." He rubbed one of his shoulders in remembrance.

"Couch?"

"Floor."

"Oh."

"Where's Robin and Raven?" Beast Boy looked around the metal man, hoping the rest of the audience would appear to see his success.

"Ahh," Cyborg ran a hand across the back of his neck. "See, Raven kinda said there was a mistake in her spell casting."

The changeling's eyes grew wide and his mouth took an understanding 'o' shape. "Robin's taking a shower and Raven should be back-"

There was a sleek noise of a portal and Raven stepped out into the room. Her skin was a pallor paler and her eyes were dark. She had changed her torn clothes to a new set, but she looked worse than when she left. For all the shocking red hair Starfire had, it drew Raven's attention first.

There was a long breath that escaped her, "It is good to see you again Starfire."

Starfire nodded, still confused about the situation. Beast Boy turned to her to explain the situation and Raven strode to Cyborg with her spell book in hand.

"Where's Robin?"

"Shower. I think he needed a little cool down time."

Raven held the book tight to her. "We have a problem."

"What did you conjure?"

Raven opened her mouth to speak it's name but thought twice and looked around to make sure the other two were engaged in conversation. She leaned closer to the mechanical boy. "Erinyes."

"Which would be…?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Furies?" She offered instead. His face remained blank. "Don't you know your mythology?"

"Obviously not. Fill me in."

"I'm going to get Robin first." She waved a small hand at him before turning to open another portal.

"Ya sure that's a good idea?" Cyborg called as she disappeared.

"No time to decide." She just barely whispered it and was gone. Cyborg stared at the empty space a moment before pulling up the computer on his arm to do a little research.

* * *

Starfire was filled in, Robin was calmed, and everyone sat in the living room as the sun made its way into noon.

"…and they were sent to punish humans for sins." Raven snapped the mythology book shut (Starfire had needed picture references to keep up with the story).

"Is not this race continuously engaging in sin?" Starfire waved a small finger to input her idea.

"Yes, but Furies were sent after seven specific sins: wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth… greed…" Raven ticked them off on her fingers.

"Envy." Cyborg chimed in.

"Pride." Robin called the last one, finally looking up at her with domino eyes. "Superbia." He mouthed it like a curse word and Raven gave him a hard look.

"How do you know that?" A pause, he worked some half-truth, she knew it.

"It was on my computer."

Raven tucked her book back close to herself. She stood before them uncomfortable and informative. "The conjuring was to extract parts of my emotions from my soul. If instead they are Furies they would be merging together their own purpose as well as the spell."

Robin was the first to put it together. She could see it working from his face and down his arms and to the hands that clenched tight.

"They are punishing for sins by taking parts or your emotions or souls or something." Raven cast her eyes to the ground. The tension filled the room and there were sounds of muttering, breathing, fear.

"Do you have a counter spell?" Robin stood and was moving towards her. She looked upon him distrustfully, but kept her ground.

"There is no counter spell."

Starfire was fretting about herself and Cyborg pressed a hand on her shoulder to keep her sitting and calm.

"Ohh maan, I want to keep my soul!" Beast Boy moaned into his hands and looked down at the floor. Cyborg patting him carefully on the back.

"So how do we fix this?" Robin had turned his voice cold and demanding, the leader had returned.

"Try to trap it in the book again?" Honestly she didn't know, Furies were so much more intangible than dragons. Even so, how did they retrieve what had already been taken by the creatures?

She could see the same thought forming on Robin and she shook her head to quiet him. "I don't know."

"Well we don't have a lot of time left to figure this out!" He was in her space them, crashing the boundary she had set up and looking at her with what she was sure was wrath.

And then the idea flitted through the air to her. _Wrath_. _Sin. _

"Aren't you supposed to be a detective, what's wrong with you figuring it out?" Raven pulled back into herself and delivered the line with a chilling gaze.

As expected, it set off his temper. "Don't you _dare_ try to push this on me, you set them free." He pointed a finger at her, his voice getting louder. The other three had quieted and watched with wide eyes incase the battle turned physical.

"Or maybe if you were a better leader…" Her eyes narrowed and met a fiery white set of eyes.

All translations at the end

"_Ira."_ The voice was haunting and everyone stilled. The anger fell off of Robin and his look now was understanding.. Curious.

"_Te Spiritus a mei!"_ It howled and suddenly the room was dark. It was around them and Raven could see the brightness of Robin's costume fading in the dark.

Without much thought, she lunged at Robin.

A voice shrieked and she knocked into something, tumbling and falling in a smoky darkness. The ground was wet and she felt around on the something she tangled with.

"_Adversus mei?"_ It asked Raven from the darkness.

"Etiam." She answered it and gripped the hands of the boy to tug him away. He muttered something but did nothing to move. She glanced around for Cyborg-- Starfire--

There was just darkness.

"_Deinde tu an mortuus."_ It raked claws down her back and Raven shrieked and tried to pull away still hauling Robin. There was laughter in the darkness that echoed, she could feel the blood gathering on her back.

The Fury faded with the sound of laughter.

Raven stifled a would-be sob of pain and pushed away from Robin. The darkness was clearing and her muscles were throbbing and the blood spilled and spilled…

* * *

Starfire was the one to find them in a crumbled pile in the hallway outside the living room. The smell of the blood and the sight made her weak and the girl screamed and stumbled back.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were there in a moment.

Cyborg cursed blackly and pulled Starfire away, commanding she get some bandages and water. She hobbled away dazed.

Robin was stirring so he appointed Beast Boy to check on him and gravely moved towards the girl. She lay in a puddle of blood on her stomach, unconscious. He quickly picked her head up from the floor to prevent drowning and checking her pulse. It was faint but rhythmic and he breathed a little easier.

As carefully as he could he began to strip her to get at the wounds. The cape came first, shredded and matted by angry gashes and he threw it to the side.

Robin was mumbling something half-heartedly in his stupor but Beast Boy had reported him unharmed.

Her suit was marred badly and the wounds were long and followed down her spine.

He tore at the fabric to pull the top half off. Beast Boy handed him a blanket from somewhere and he wrapped it around her front gingerly. The uniform was much more difficult to get off, it had dried and stuck in clumps inside the gashes. Removing it caused the cuts to reopen and blood was slipping across and down her back.

Starfire was crying, but she handed him a cloth and he blotted it across her back, holding it on spots to clot.

The process was slow and tiresome, but each cut took proper washing and disinfecting before he could wrap them.

Robin, who still seemed to be far from rational, and Raven were taken up to the infirmary.

* * *

She awoke to soreness at sundown. This time she was facedown to the pillow, but dared not move. Everything pounded in the beat of her heart.

Instead she groaned to alert attention to herself.

Cyborg stalked over and leaned down to her level. "Hey dark girl."

"What happened?" Her mind was messy and she cared not to sort it out at the moment.

"I was going to ask you." He smoothed a hand across her hair and rested it just at her neck. "But you're healing quickly, so you should begin to feel like your old self soon."

The direction she was facing and could see the bed beside her and another figure in it. The black hair that thrashed in the bed clued her in.

"Robin?" She called it and her throat was sounding stickier.

"There's something wrong with him." Cyborg backed away from her to look over Robin. "He's in almost a sleep, but he keep thrashing around. We tried to wake him up, but it was no good."

"Ugh." The muscles of her back were painful and throbbing. "Help me sit up."

"I think you should keep still a little longer." There was weight from Cyborg's cold hand to keep her down.

"There isn't time!" She tasted chalk in her mouth and insisted she got up.

Cyborg wasn't in the mood to fight and instead helped her adjust without opening any of the wounds. At this new angle Raven could see Starfire across the room, her hands fidgety between her knees. Beast Boy sat beside her and was speaking in a low mumble.

"Where's my book?"

Cyborg reached over her to the side table and picked the heavy thing up to hang it to her. "I'm going to assume that little stunt in the living room was apart of the plan?"

Raven raised violet eyes to his. "Obvious?"

"Stupid."

"Right." She looked back down at the binding and flipped it open. "I could try to pull the Furies back into the book, but then whatever they took from us would go with it."

"It's still better than loosing more."

"Mmm." She continued to flip through the pages for an answer. Maybe it would just jump out at her.

Robin rolled around on his bed suddenly and everyone jumped. He tugged at the sheets and muttered between clenched teeth. "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

Raven flipped quicker through the pages. "Yes, I--" She stopped at a page and pointed a finger to the text. "Here, help me over to him."

Cyborg propped an arm across her shoulder and carefully lifted her up. They stumbled to the other bed where she sat and waited for him to grab the book. "It's an exorcism deal, I would advise you all get out."

Beast Boy had been creeping closer to listen in on the conversation. "You're setting that thing _free?_"

"Would you rather it eat him inside out?" Raven gestured to the boy still tearing at the white sheets.

The green eyes grew wide and he stepped back towards Starfire.

Raven sighed and turned her eyes back to the boy. "Be ready." She placed her hands over his temple before looking down at the spell book . "_Extractum te malum, devenio a mei."_

And she felt herself sinking in, loosing her own identity and falling towards a darkness. It was violent and it grasped her tightly.

It tugged and she slid and she pulled. Back, forth. Something screamed, whispering threats in her language. Death, blood, revenge, malum. Sound and wind was tunneling and pulling back, pulling her back.

Everything was retreating and pulled and giving and…

Light. It came again quick and she dropped fast and fell through a universe of things to slam back into her own body. Everything jolted sharp and crisp and her lungs forced in a long breath.

All her senses came back at once and she could hear them. Raven reopened her eyes to a Fury.

It was a woman. Her skin was pale and transparent that gave away pointed features between raggedy garments. Cyborg had backed away and was shouting as he tried to fire at the creature.

It shrieked and evaded, crossing the room in a trail of blood.

"Mmfg?" Robin was awaking, but she couldn't spare him a glance. The Fury was closing in on the three Titans and Raven needed a solution quick.

There was one that had been stirring within her conscience, but she flipped through the spell book ever faster. It was dangerous and self-destructive and--

Starfire screamed as the demon reared ever closer and threw Cyborg across the room. It spoke in her language and was taunting them with all the ways it planned torture. Raven was the only one to understand the cruelties.

"What's going on?" Robin was pushing away the blankets and trying to steady himself on wary feet.

Raven blinked and contemplated. It slinked ever closer with razor nails and bleeding gowns. "_Consto!"_

The Fury obeyed and turned to her with black eyes, blood dripped down her cheeks like grotesque tears. "_Qui?"_

The sorceress pushed herself to careful feet and held her book to her. Her fingers flexed carefully as she gathered the energy there. "_Devenio a mei. Spiritus malum, devenio. Mei a te magister…"_

The dark magic burst from her finger tips and the book fell from her grip.

Black eyes had been watching her closely and they suddenly narrowed in recognition of the spell. "_Nunquam."_

But it was too late. The tendrils twisted quickly in the air and wrapped the creature tightly. It screamed in murder and tore at the spell. Raven tightened the grip and the blood was pooling across the floor as the Fury was pulled closer. It's eyes shown hatred and it spoke a million words in her tongue as it thrashed.

"_Devenio." _Raven spoke it simply and with one great movement of her arms the Fury was pulled to her. Instead of colliding with her solid form the wrathful woman slid inside her, disappearing in a mass of black tendrils.

* * *

Robin had watched uncomprehending. Uncomprehending until the last second when her plan had occurred to the boy and it was too late to do anything.

Silence stretched in the room with the demon gone. Raven was still for seconds that stretched and clumped into groups while no one moved. It was nearly a minute when she wavered and collapsed.

It unfroze the rest of the Titans and they hurried forwards, shoes splashing in the flood of blood that still covered the floor.

Cyborg picked her up and placed her on one of the beds that was quickly bled red from the floor. The tower was dark now with the exception of the overhead lights.

Another Fury shrieked somewhere off. Starfire shivered and Robin cast a dark eye at the door. What were they going to do? He went and picked up the blood soaked book. The pages were already rippling and scarlet, but readable. He began to blot at the pages with one of the bed sheets.

"Now what?" Cyborg took a chair beside her bed again and watched the shadows.

"We could try to translate this book, or venture to Nevermore." Robin answered, still separating the pages with careful fingers.

"Nevermore might be a good idea." Cyborg cast a look to Beast Boy. "Still know where the mirror is?"

"Yeah."

"Get it, but take Starfire and call us if there's even the faintest trace of another Fury." Cyborg was commanding now as Robin stayed solemn and kept at the spell book.

Beast Boy wrung his hands and his eyes looked watery in the light. "Oh-o-okay."

"We'll come after you in seven minutes if you're not back."

The two vanished in a worried bundle. Cyborg took the time to move around and replace the monitoring suction cups back to Raven.

* * *

They had agreed on only one person to check on Nevermore. It might be dangerous, and there was no use in all of them being harmed if that was the case.

Naturally, Robin had been the one to volunteer. They all bid him farewell and best of luck and gave him a twenty minute time limit before they would all start filling in after him.

Robin stayed silent through the exchange, hugging them all in turn and taking the horned mirror. There was a bad feeling through his body, but he chose not to speak on it. A leader never worried the ones they lead.

"I'll be right back." He nodded, holding the mirror up to face him. Four red eyes peered back at him in malice. Someone screamed, someone away from the pull of the mirror.

He looked up one last time, feeling Nevermore pulling him ever closer. There was a Fury, almost identical to the first that glided through the wall and into the room…

"No!" Robin yelled and tried to pull away from the red eyes. They were not to be deterred. It went for Starfire with dagger nails, but the image faded quickly from Robin's view.

He fell into the darkness, hollering for return and trying to grab at the air. It was useless and he landed hard on the ground of Nevermore.

The ground was different this time, thick puddles of blood pooled everywhere, he had even landed in one. Robin pushed himself up and tried to wring out his clothing, but he only managed to prove his actions were once again useless.

So instead he began down the path towards where he had once come across a Raven.

* * *

Starfire's pain was brief. The claws had come unexpectedly and slipped just as easily between her ribs and into her upper stomach. Everything in her tensed in one moment of agony before it all just slipped away.

Her feet collapsed beneath her and she fell to the floor, her blood mingling with that already there.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were horrified. They went at the creature with everything they had. The sonic cannon blasted through the relatively quiet night to slice away at the tower walls, only occasionally catching the Fury.

Even then it cackled and slid away, pushing its limbs back together where they stuck just as good as before.

Beast Boy tore at the thing with nails and teeth and claws of an assortment of animals only to come out scarred and unsuccessful. He moved to Starfire instead to try and help her.

But she bled fast, it was soaking her clothing and wouldn't stop even as he pressed a hand to it. Tears were falling down his face and the green boy couldn't care enough to wipe them away.

"Starfire, Starfire please!" But she was closing her eyes and her chest was moving ever slower and-- "Cyborg, do something!" He was blubbering and nearly incomprehensible.

Cyborg was still fighting with the thing without success. He turned to glance at the two on the floor with a pained expression. "Do what?"

The Fury took his moment of distraction to forward herself and sink her hands transparently into his chest.

"Cyborg!" Beast Boy called it when the woman had slid forward, but she was faster. The hands solidified and she ripped them back towards her.

Cyborg jolted as the wires and parts were extracted. Light and sounds were moving and hazy and his joints were suddenly immobile. Something was buzzing and malfunctioning and his robotic eye was shutting down and…

* * *

There was no Raven. He had gotten to the maze and through and not even the ravens had appeared to gawk at him. The silence of it all was disturbing.

But he walked quick because he needed to get to the end now to get back to the real world. Why knew what kind of threat they were without Raven? He splashed through the blood and felt sick and sticky at the same time.

It was so dark.

"Raven!" He shouted again and willed for her to answer. This was the world in her head, if she was not here, then what?

But someone was coughing in response. He had been concentrating so hard on sound that it was impossible to miss it. The boy ran towards it, clapping loudly in the puddles and ignoring the growing carnage of land.

It was a brown cloaked Raven. She laid across a torn ground, wrapped tightly in a shredded brown material and a blood smeared face.

"Raven!" He knelt by her quickly and picked her up. Her eyes were swimming and she couldn't hold her own head up. "What happened?"

"Killing." It jumbled out of her mouth and stretched a gash that ran up her cheek. Her eyes grew wide and she shook in coughing. "Run."

And she was dead.

He stayed there a moment longer before lying her back on the ground. He had to find the real Raven.

But as he got closer to the exit the damage to Nevermore became worse and worse. There were bits of rainbow colored cloaks blood soaked and full of angry gashes that occasionally were wrapped around Ravens.

Beside the brown cloaked one, none of them had been alive.

It made him feel nauseous and disgusted, but he continued to walk and call for Raven.

* * *

Beast Boy watched with horrified eyes. Cyborg fell to the floor useless and the Fury dropped the extracted pile of wired upon him.

Beside him Starfire had stopped bleeding, but the breath of her chest had stopped as well. He was speaking, but not saying anything and he pushed himself away from the creature and the dead girl.

The woman had turned to the changeling and was laughing. Her eyes bled and her fingers flexed, she called to him.

* * *

He had counted the Ravens. All of them, except for her full blue cloaked form had been accounted for. All of them, dead. What did that mean for her? These were parts of her mind, her personality and they had been… murdered.

The gateway to the real world was getting ever closer now. It was still terribly dark, but he knew he was coming to the end of the path.

He stepped quicker and quicker to get there. Voices whispered in the dark at him, but they were not Nevermore's creation.

There were a movement near the exit. It was a movement of color and immediately he knew it had to be her. Robin ran, jumping over the upset rocks and debris yet again.

And it was her.

"Raven!" He called it as he neared.

But she was just as rough as the others, leaning heavily near a rock beside the exit. Her hair was messy and clotted with blood and dirt, she looked up at him with dazed and dark eyes. "Hi."

Robin felt himself cursing and he leaned down to pick her up.

She stumbled over and away from him and shook her head. "Get out."

"What? No, c'mon." He reached for her again. The exit was right there… if he could only-

But she pushed away and fell onto her side, breathing hard. "This won't last, you've got to-- out." Raven pointed a feeble finger towards the exit, her eyes were becoming cloudy already.

"Raven!"

"Get."

"But-"

"No." And then her eyes were closing and she pointed at the exit again. The Fury was screeching again in the dark and it grew steadily louder.

Robin tried to pick her up now. Everything around him was shaking with the noise, his ears felt strained and prickly even as he hoisted the girl into his arms.

But then the rocks were collapsing. Nevermore was breaking down as the voice grew and split his ear drum with its pitch.

Robin went for the exit. It was so close and he staggered with pain as the vision around him jumped and shifted. The rocks and mountains crumbled and rocks rolled down around the exit.

He ran and Raven tightly. She was heavy, too heavy and the portal was too far.

The rocks were covering the way. His head was pounding but the voice grew still. His vision became unfocused and he staggered sideways with the weight.

A rock tripped him and blood splattered with his landing.

The world was ripping and splitting. Robin saw the rocks falling and felt powerless to do anything but watch them. They rolled and shattered pieces and closed in on them…

* * *

By sunrise the Titans Tower crumbled in its deadweight. It gave into the tides and buckled, sliding beneath the waves of the bay.

The newspapers of Jump City all ran the story, beneath a heading for the Missing Teen Titans.

Divers had gone through the wreckage of the tower, but nothing of suspicion was found.

Nothing, but a worn and faded spell book of waterlogged gibberish.

**Gee, that only took a year, heh. Sorry for the wait lovelies.**

**Translations: Wrath. Your spirit, come to me. Defy me? Yes. Then you are dead. Extract thy evil, come to me. Stop! What? Come to me. Evil spirit, come. I am your creator. Never. Come.**

**The end. Death, ys you're welcome.  
**

**Happy Halloween.**

**:Bloody Fae:**


End file.
